Superman: Secret Origin
Encyclopedia
Superman: Secret Origin was a six-issue monthly American comic book
limited series
written by Geoff Johns
and illustrated by Gary Frank
starring the DC Comics
superhero
Superman
. The story featured the
"definitive" origin of Superman
for the modern, post-Infinite Crisis
DC Universe
continuity, starting with Clark Kent
in his pre-teens as Superboy
, meeting a young Lex Luthor
and the Legion of Super-Heroes
in Smallville, Kansas, and soon heading to Metropolis
where a young adult Clark debuts as Superman, and fights now-businessman Lex Luthor, Parasite
, Metallo
, and General Sam Lane; father of his future love interest, Lois Lane
. The series featured new elements for the origin tale, such as telling the story from the singular perspective of Clark, and not having at least one scene set on the planet Krypton
. The story instead begins with one of Clark's "earliest memories," in a story of Clark's "self-discovery and the world's story of meeting Superman."
accidentally breaks Pete Ross
's arm. The next day, Clark freaks out when he discovers x-ray vision and nearly burns his school down with his heat vision upon kissing Lana Lang
. Clark's parents Jonathan and Martha Kent realise it's time and they show him the rocket that brought him to Earth. The rocket reveals a holograph of Jor-El
and Lara, who tell him who they are, Krypton, and a message that he is not one of "them." Elsewhere in Smallville, a young Lex Luthor
discovers a chunk of Kryptonite
and takes it to a street fair the next morning where he is selling his stuff. There, he and a now glasses-wearing Clark meet. After Clark becomes weak and almost damages the kryptonite, a tornado appears without warning and he rescues Lana, while learning he can fly. Later, he tells his parents what happened and that he wants to help people; Martha determines he'll need an indestructible outfit, and has made one based on one of the wardrobes from the holographic images. Clark tries it on and swears that he'll never wear it again. A drunken Lionel Luthor
, Lex' father, drives off a cliff, but is rescued by Clark. Because he is embarrassed by the costume, no one sees the rumored "flying boy." After Lex doesn't want to be friends, Lana's angry because he wants to be just friends, and overhearing other kids teasing him; a depressed Clark is amazed to meet Cosmic Boy
, Saturn Girl
and Lightning Lad
of the Legion of Super-Heroes
. The Legionnaires bend their rules to take Clark to the future, but once they arrived, they have to fight a group of human supremacists. After the fight, Brainiac 5
angrily reminds them of the consequences of their actions and the Legionnaires return Clark to the present, with a Legion flight ring to which to communicate. As Clark describes the future to his parents, Clark stops a rocket heading toward their house to reveal Krypto
inside. Later, upon hearing his father died from heart failure, a gleeful Lex Luthor plans to use Lionel's insurance policy to go to Metropolis
.
Years later; a now adult Clark Kent walks around Metropolis, awestruck. Arriving at the dilapidated Daily Planet
; he meets Rudy Jones
, the overweight janitor, as well as the staff that consists of Ron Troupe
, Steve Lombard
, Cat Grant
, photography intern Jimmy Olsen
, and finally Lois Lane
and Perry White
. Because billionaire and businessman Lex Luthor nearly killed the Planet financially because of a story they had about him, Perry forbids Lois to get invovled with Luthor. Ignoring the warning, Lois takes Clark, her new partner, to Lexcorp. Lois disguises herself and sneaks inside Lexcorp while Clark distracts the guards as Planet reporters are not welcomed. Lois watches as Lex unveils Metallo
, his powered exoskeleton battlesuit, where she is found by the security guards. She flees, but a mistake sends her falling from the roof. Clark sneaks into an alley, changes into his costume, and rescues her; revealing his superpowered self to the public. While in awe over the flying man, others are scared and the police question him; Clark flees, fearing that he's made a " big mistake." Lex's daily tradition is to select someone from a crowd around his tower, and provide them with a new life; the newest member happens to be Rudy. Rudy is brought in to begin the program, and is offered all he can eat. He's eats a donut that was dropped in bio-waste where he starts turning into something hideous. Curious about the flying man; Lex meets with Lois and Clark where Clark leaves to confront Rudy as the Parasite. After sucking the life out of an employee, Clark manages to get Parasite out of the building where Clark manages to freeze him: ending his terror. The people, observing, are grateful, but don't know what to make of Clark; it becomes worse when Lex arrives and claims the "flying man" isn't even human. Clark leaves, and on the roof of the Daily Planet, sees Jimmy on the ledge. They talk about how they're currently feeling, with Jimmy thinking of returning to New York
. Clark persuades Jimmy to stay, since he's his "only friend" in Metropolis, and lets Jimmy take his picture. As all other newspapers are under the fear of the flying man; the next issue of the Daily Planet runs with Lois's story and Jimmy's picture, naming "Superman
" as the city's new savior. Lex, furious, declares personal war on Perry White.
After Superman saves the day at a fire in the Daily Planet’s main warehouse; he concludes to Jimmy and Lois that the fire was arson, part of an attack on Planet. While still wary, public opinion is improving on Superman thanks to the Planet, as their circulation has risen by 700%. Lex calls upon General Sam Lane, Lois' father, who agrees to help Lex in exchange for weapons technology. Lex reveals that Superman is an alien, and can likely be stopped by the kryptonite rock Lex has, and that can power the Metallo battlesuit to stop him. Lois is greeted by Sgt. John Corben
, with whom her father prefers she have a relationship. Lois refuses to date him, but John persists, and Clark steps in when it begins to get rough. John tries to intimidate Clark with a firm handshake, but Clark is considerably stronger. John leaves to meet Lex and Sam, and agrees to pilot Metallo. Clark takes Lois to lunch, where she continues to notice that he's not all he seems to be. Clark hears an explosion and leaves to become Superman but the explosion was a fake; Sam Lane had caused it in order to meet Superman. Sam accuses him of being an alien, and wants to know what his goals are, particularly with Lois. Superman refuses to continue the interview and tries to leave, but Sam tells Superman that if he leaves he'll be declared an enemy; he leaves anyway, and Sam orders the Army to attack. The soldiers do little to Superman, but John, in the Metallo suit, manages to weaken him by exposing him to the kryptonite. Ricocheting bullets hit the kryptonite, which explodes and injures John and Superman escapes. Sam and his troops arrive at the Daily Planet, and orders it shut down until they can get definitive answers about Superman, mainly by Sam's daughter.
Lex takes John into surgery and replaces his heart with a kryptonite generator, turning him into Metallo. Sam reveals to Lois, Perry, and the Daily Planet staff, that Superman is an alien while Jimmy distracts the soldiers with flashbulbs and Lois escapes. Soldiers find Superman in the sewers and the battle reaches outside on one of the main streets of the city. Metallo enters the fight, and he begins to attack his own soldiers in order to get to Superman. Lois arrives to warn him about the kryptonite and tells him to leave, but he refuses to give up. Metallo attacks him with a kryptonite ray, threatening the bystanders, but Superman melts a manhole cover over the kryptonite and flies Metallo into space until the lack of oxygen knocks him out. Sam arrives and orders Superman and Lois arrested. The crowd turns on the Army, and Superman orders the crowd to stop, telling them that they, not the Army, not Lex Luthor, nor himself, are meant to be Metropolis's saviors. Superman meets with Lex and tells him Metropolis doesn't belong to him anymore: "You don't own us." Lex objects, since Superman isn't from Earth. Superman replies, "This is my home," and leaves. Later, Lex goes to pick another person from the crowd to give a new life to, only no one is there. Afterward, The Daily Planet celebrates becoming the top selling newspaper in the city. Superman visits Lois atop the Daily Planet building and thanks her for making him feel like he belongs there. He starts the Planet’s rusty globe spinning again. Lois asks, "Are you a man or an alien?" His response is, "I'm Superman, Lois."
, which touted itself as a new origin series that replaced the 1986 series The Man of Steel by writer/artist John Byrne. Birthright presented a number of changes to the continuity of Superman's origin. After the 2005–2006 event series Infinite Crisis
, many new changes were made to the history of the DC Universe
, including more alterations to Superman's origin, and at the time it was stated that both Man of Steel and Birthright were the "official" origin stories. The truth was that after Infinite Crisis, Superman was without an "official" origin story as stated by then-monthly Superman
writer Kurt Busiek
. In order to definitively answer the glaring continuity questions, in 2009 DC enlisted the popular Action Comics
creative team of writer Geoff Johns
and artist Gary Frank
(hot off their stories such as Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes
and Brainiac
) to pen what was planned to be the "definitive" origin story of the modern Superman, post-Infinite Crisis.
As opposed to Green Lantern: Secret Origin
(also penned by Johns), which ran in the monthly Green Lantern title, it was decided by Dan DiDio
(then-Executive Editor of DC Comics) to have Secret Origin run as its own mini-series and not part of the regular Superman or Action Comics ongoing titles. It was during their run on Action that the pair of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank planned "Secret Origin," realizing that with stories such as Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, or Superman's first encounters with the likes of Parasite
for example, that there weren't any modern retellings of those adventures, and planned them to be part of their origin storyline. Johns planned their version of the origin story to be aligned with the modern stories, and as Man of Steel was "brilliant" and Birthright was a "beautiful book," Johns stated that this was not "Smallville
or Superman: The Movie: this is Superman: Secret Origin by me and Gary." Johns also pointed out his love for "secret origins" because of how vital they are to the introduction of characters and mythology to the larger audience, in order to entice them into become a long time audience.
For Gary Frank, his reason for doing the series was because of "clarity;" wanting enjoyment from readers, and not arguing what is and what isn't canon. An example being his version for Superman; being his own while giving the same feel to readers similar to the Curt Swan
and Christopher Reeve
Supermans. It was also because he and Johns shared the same vision that allowed them to work so well.
gave high praise to the overall series, with most of the individual issues receiving ratings between 7.8 and 9.0. They stated that Johns "wisely sticks closely to the play book of recognizable Superman tropes, making the story feel familiar and iconic without feeling stale." In the end, the IGN consensus was "we've all been here before, but that familiarity isn't as problematic as you'd expect. Like a great jazz musician playing over a standard, Johns is able to bring enough new personality and style to the mix to make it feel fresh and almost entirely his own."
Comic Book Resources
gave each issue in the series between 3.5 and 5 stars, stating "Johns and Frank are setting out to give us the absolute version of Superman's origin. Once and for all, or at least for the next so many years, this will be the book to come back to for Superman's origin story." iFanboy
gave the finale to the series full ratings, stating that the series as a whole is "a conservative retelling when compared to, say, Mark Waid and Leinil Yu's Superman: Birthright. So if your expectation was for a revolution or even evolution, this book is decidedly a failure. But that's not the only ambition a storyteller ought to have. If you look at "Secret Origin" instead as a reexamination of Superman and his core relationships, I think it's pretty satisfying.
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
written by Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and illustrated by Gary Frank
Gary Frank
Gary Frank is a British comic book artist, notable for pencilling on Midnight Nation and Supreme Power, both written by J. Michael Straczynski...
starring the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. The story featured the
"definitive" origin of Superman
Origin of Superman
The origin of Superman is the story that relates Superman's arrival on Earth and the beginnings of his career as a superhero. The story has been through many revisions through decades of publication in comic books and radio, television and film adaptations....
for the modern, post-Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
continuity, starting with Clark Kent
Clark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
in his pre-teens as Superboy
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional characters that have been published by DC Comics, most of them youthful incarnations of Superman. These characters have also been the main characters of four ongoing Superboy comic book series published by DC....
, meeting a young Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
and the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
in Smallville, Kansas, and soon heading to Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
where a young adult Clark debuts as Superman, and fights now-businessman Lex Luthor, Parasite
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
, Metallo
Metallo
Metallo is a comic book supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben...
, and General Sam Lane; father of his future love interest, Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
. The series featured new elements for the origin tale, such as telling the story from the singular perspective of Clark, and not having at least one scene set on the planet Krypton
Krypton (comics)
Krypton is a fictional planet in the DC Comics universe, and the native world of the super-heroes Superman and, in some tellings, Supergirl and Krypto the Superdog. Krypton has been portrayed consistently as having been destroyed just after Superman's flight from the planet, with exact details of...
. The story instead begins with one of Clark's "earliest memories," in a story of Clark's "self-discovery and the world's story of meeting Superman."
Plot
While playing football, a young Clark KentClark Kent
Clark Kent is a fictional character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Appearing regularly in stories published by DC Comics, he debuted in Action Comics #1 and serves as the civilian and secret identity of the superhero Superman....
accidentally breaks Pete Ross
Pete Ross
Peter Joseph "Pete" Ross is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comic books published by DC Comics. He was introduced in Superboy #86 .-Pre-Crisis:...
's arm. The next day, Clark freaks out when he discovers x-ray vision and nearly burns his school down with his heat vision upon kissing Lana Lang
Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, the character first appears in Superboy #10...
. Clark's parents Jonathan and Martha Kent realise it's time and they show him the rocket that brought him to Earth. The rocket reveals a holograph of Jor-El
Jor-El
Jor-El is a fictional character, an extraterrestrial in the . He was created by the writer Jerry Siegel and the artist Joe Shuster, and he first appeared in a newspaper comic strip in 1939 as Superman's biological father....
and Lara, who tell him who they are, Krypton, and a message that he is not one of "them." Elsewhere in Smallville, a young Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor
Lex Luthor is a fictional character, a supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and the archenemy of Superman, although given his high status as a supervillain, he has also come into conflict with Batman and other superheroes in the DC Universe. Created by Jerry Siegel and...
discovers a chunk of Kryptonite
Kryptonite
Kryptonite is a fictional material from the Superman mythos —the ore form of a radioactive element from Superman's home planet of Krypton. It is famous for being the ultimate physical weakness of Superman, and the word kryptonite has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel —the one weakness...
and takes it to a street fair the next morning where he is selling his stuff. There, he and a now glasses-wearing Clark meet. After Clark becomes weak and almost damages the kryptonite, a tornado appears without warning and he rescues Lana, while learning he can fly. Later, he tells his parents what happened and that he wants to help people; Martha determines he'll need an indestructible outfit, and has made one based on one of the wardrobes from the holographic images. Clark tries it on and swears that he'll never wear it again. A drunken Lionel Luthor
Lionel Luthor
Lionel Luthor is a fictional character in the television series Smallville, portrayed continuously by John Glover. Initially a recurring guest in season one, the character became a series regular in season two and continued with that status until he was written out of the show in the seventh season...
, Lex' father, drives off a cliff, but is rescued by Clark. Because he is embarrassed by the costume, no one sees the rumored "flying boy." After Lex doesn't want to be friends, Lana's angry because he wants to be just friends, and overhearing other kids teasing him; a depressed Clark is amazed to meet Cosmic Boy
Cosmic Boy
Cosmic Boy is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Comics universe. He first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 . He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, and was the original leader in all incarnations of the Legion...
, Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl
Saturn Girl is a fictional character appearing in DC comic books. A talented telepath from the 30th century, Imra first appeared in Adventure Comics #247 as a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes...
and Lightning Lad
Garth Ranzz
Lightning Lad , also known as Live Wire, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the DC Comics universe. He has the superhuman ability to generate electricity, usually in the form of lightning bolts. He is a founding member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th and 31st centuries...
of the Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion of Super-Heroes
The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team in the 30th and 31st centuries of the . The team first appears in Adventure Comics #247 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino....
. The Legionnaires bend their rules to take Clark to the future, but once they arrived, they have to fight a group of human supremacists. After the fight, Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5
Brainiac 5 is a fictional character who exists in the 30th and 31st centuries of the DC Universe. He is a long standing member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is from the planet Colu...
angrily reminds them of the consequences of their actions and the Legionnaires return Clark to the present, with a Legion flight ring to which to communicate. As Clark describes the future to his parents, Clark stops a rocket heading toward their house to reveal Krypto
Krypto
Krypto, also known as Krypto the Superdog, is a fictional character. He is Superman's pet dog in the various Superman comic books published by DC Comics. Krypto's first appearance was in a Superboy story in Adventure Comics #210 in March 1955...
inside. Later, upon hearing his father died from heart failure, a gleeful Lex Luthor plans to use Lionel's insurance policy to go to Metropolis
Metropolis (comics)
Metropolis is a fictional city that appears in comic books published by DC Comics, and is the home of Superman. Metropolis first appeared by name in Action Comics #16 ....
.
Years later; a now adult Clark Kent walks around Metropolis, awestruck. Arriving at the dilapidated Daily Planet
Daily Planet
The Daily Planet is a fictional broadsheet newspaper in the , appearing mostly in the stories of Superman. The building's original features were based upon the AT&T Huron Road Building in Cleveland, Ohio...
; he meets Rudy Jones
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
, the overweight janitor, as well as the staff that consists of Ron Troupe
Ron Troupe
Ron Troupe is a fictional journalist, a supporting comic book character published by DC Comics. He debuted in Adventures of Superman #480 , and was created by Jerry Ordway and Tom Grummett.-Fictional character biography:...
, Steve Lombard
Steve Lombard
Steve Lombard is a fictional DC Comics character appearing in Superman comics. He first appeared in Superman #264 in a story written by Cary Bates and penciled by Curt Swan.-Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths:...
, Cat Grant
Cat Grant
Catherine "Cat" Jane Grant is a fictional DC Comics character appearing in Superman comics. She first appeared in Adventures of Superman #424 as a gossip columnist for the Daily Planet...
, photography intern Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen
Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character who appears mainly in DC Comics’ Superman stories. Olsen is a young photojournalist working for the Daily Planet. He is close friends with Lois Lane, Clark Kent/Superman and Perry White...
, and finally Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
and Perry White
Perry White
Perry White is a fictional character who appears in the Superman comics. White is the Editor-in-Chief of the Metropolis newspaper the Daily Planet.White maintains very high ethical and journalistic standards...
. Because billionaire and businessman Lex Luthor nearly killed the Planet financially because of a story they had about him, Perry forbids Lois to get invovled with Luthor. Ignoring the warning, Lois takes Clark, her new partner, to Lexcorp. Lois disguises herself and sneaks inside Lexcorp while Clark distracts the guards as Planet reporters are not welcomed. Lois watches as Lex unveils Metallo
Metallo
Metallo is a comic book supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben...
, his powered exoskeleton battlesuit, where she is found by the security guards. She flees, but a mistake sends her falling from the roof. Clark sneaks into an alley, changes into his costume, and rescues her; revealing his superpowered self to the public. While in awe over the flying man, others are scared and the police question him; Clark flees, fearing that he's made a " big mistake." Lex's daily tradition is to select someone from a crowd around his tower, and provide them with a new life; the newest member happens to be Rudy. Rudy is brought in to begin the program, and is offered all he can eat. He's eats a donut that was dropped in bio-waste where he starts turning into something hideous. Curious about the flying man; Lex meets with Lois and Clark where Clark leaves to confront Rudy as the Parasite. After sucking the life out of an employee, Clark manages to get Parasite out of the building where Clark manages to freeze him: ending his terror. The people, observing, are grateful, but don't know what to make of Clark; it becomes worse when Lex arrives and claims the "flying man" isn't even human. Clark leaves, and on the roof of the Daily Planet, sees Jimmy on the ledge. They talk about how they're currently feeling, with Jimmy thinking of returning to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Clark persuades Jimmy to stay, since he's his "only friend" in Metropolis, and lets Jimmy take his picture. As all other newspapers are under the fear of the flying man; the next issue of the Daily Planet runs with Lois's story and Jimmy's picture, naming "Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
" as the city's new savior. Lex, furious, declares personal war on Perry White.
After Superman saves the day at a fire in the Daily Planet’s main warehouse; he concludes to Jimmy and Lois that the fire was arson, part of an attack on Planet. While still wary, public opinion is improving on Superman thanks to the Planet, as their circulation has risen by 700%. Lex calls upon General Sam Lane, Lois' father, who agrees to help Lex in exchange for weapons technology. Lex reveals that Superman is an alien, and can likely be stopped by the kryptonite rock Lex has, and that can power the Metallo battlesuit to stop him. Lois is greeted by Sgt. John Corben
Metallo
Metallo is a comic book supervillain and cyborg who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Metallo's trademark is his kryptonite power source, which he often uses as a weapon against Superman. His traditional identity is John Corben...
, with whom her father prefers she have a relationship. Lois refuses to date him, but John persists, and Clark steps in when it begins to get rough. John tries to intimidate Clark with a firm handshake, but Clark is considerably stronger. John leaves to meet Lex and Sam, and agrees to pilot Metallo. Clark takes Lois to lunch, where she continues to notice that he's not all he seems to be. Clark hears an explosion and leaves to become Superman but the explosion was a fake; Sam Lane had caused it in order to meet Superman. Sam accuses him of being an alien, and wants to know what his goals are, particularly with Lois. Superman refuses to continue the interview and tries to leave, but Sam tells Superman that if he leaves he'll be declared an enemy; he leaves anyway, and Sam orders the Army to attack. The soldiers do little to Superman, but John, in the Metallo suit, manages to weaken him by exposing him to the kryptonite. Ricocheting bullets hit the kryptonite, which explodes and injures John and Superman escapes. Sam and his troops arrive at the Daily Planet, and orders it shut down until they can get definitive answers about Superman, mainly by Sam's daughter.
Lex takes John into surgery and replaces his heart with a kryptonite generator, turning him into Metallo. Sam reveals to Lois, Perry, and the Daily Planet staff, that Superman is an alien while Jimmy distracts the soldiers with flashbulbs and Lois escapes. Soldiers find Superman in the sewers and the battle reaches outside on one of the main streets of the city. Metallo enters the fight, and he begins to attack his own soldiers in order to get to Superman. Lois arrives to warn him about the kryptonite and tells him to leave, but he refuses to give up. Metallo attacks him with a kryptonite ray, threatening the bystanders, but Superman melts a manhole cover over the kryptonite and flies Metallo into space until the lack of oxygen knocks him out. Sam arrives and orders Superman and Lois arrested. The crowd turns on the Army, and Superman orders the crowd to stop, telling them that they, not the Army, not Lex Luthor, nor himself, are meant to be Metropolis's saviors. Superman meets with Lex and tells him Metropolis doesn't belong to him anymore: "You don't own us." Lex objects, since Superman isn't from Earth. Superman replies, "This is my home," and leaves. Later, Lex goes to pick another person from the crowd to give a new life to, only no one is there. Afterward, The Daily Planet celebrates becoming the top selling newspaper in the city. Superman visits Lois atop the Daily Planet building and thanks her for making him feel like he belongs there. He starts the Planet’s rusty globe spinning again. Lois asks, "Are you a man or an alien?" His response is, "I'm Superman, Lois."
Background
In 2003–2004, DC Comics published a 12-issue limited series entitled Superman: BirthrightSuperman: Birthright
Superman: Birthright is a twelve-issue comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 2003 and 2004, written by Mark Waid and drawn by Leinil Francis Yu....
, which touted itself as a new origin series that replaced the 1986 series The Man of Steel by writer/artist John Byrne. Birthright presented a number of changes to the continuity of Superman's origin. After the 2005–2006 event series Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, many new changes were made to the history of the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, including more alterations to Superman's origin, and at the time it was stated that both Man of Steel and Birthright were the "official" origin stories. The truth was that after Infinite Crisis, Superman was without an "official" origin story as stated by then-monthly Superman
Superman (comic book)
Superman is an ongoing comic book series featuring the DC Comics hero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938...
writer Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.-Early life:...
. In order to definitively answer the glaring continuity questions, in 2009 DC enlisted the popular Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
creative team of writer Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
and artist Gary Frank
Gary Frank
Gary Frank is a British comic book artist, notable for pencilling on Midnight Nation and Supreme Power, both written by J. Michael Straczynski...
(hot off their stories such as Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes
Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes
"Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes" is a comic book story arc from DC Comics by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, featuring the Superman character and the return of the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Legion of Super-Heroes...
and Brainiac
Brainiac (story arc)
"Brainiac" is a five-issue comic book story arc written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank, that was published in Action Comics #866-870 by DC Comics in 2008...
) to pen what was planned to be the "definitive" origin story of the modern Superman, post-Infinite Crisis.
As opposed to Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Green Lantern: Secret Origin
"Secret Origin" is a comic book story arc published in Green Lantern #29-35 by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Ivan Reis, the story retells the origin of Earth's first Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan for the New Earth continuity...
(also penned by Johns), which ran in the monthly Green Lantern title, it was decided by Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...
(then-Executive Editor of DC Comics) to have Secret Origin run as its own mini-series and not part of the regular Superman or Action Comics ongoing titles. It was during their run on Action that the pair of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank planned "Secret Origin," realizing that with stories such as Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, or Superman's first encounters with the likes of Parasite
Parasite (comics)
The Parasite is the name of several fictional characters that appears in Superman comic book stories published by DC Comics. A supervillain, Parasite has the ability to temporarily absorb the energy, knowledge and super-powers of another being by touch, making him a formidable foe for the Man of...
for example, that there weren't any modern retellings of those adventures, and planned them to be part of their origin storyline. Johns planned their version of the origin story to be aligned with the modern stories, and as Man of Steel was "brilliant" and Birthright was a "beautiful book," Johns stated that this was not "Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
or Superman: The Movie: this is Superman: Secret Origin by me and Gary." Johns also pointed out his love for "secret origins" because of how vital they are to the introduction of characters and mythology to the larger audience, in order to entice them into become a long time audience.
For Gary Frank, his reason for doing the series was because of "clarity;" wanting enjoyment from readers, and not arguing what is and what isn't canon. An example being his version for Superman; being his own while giving the same feel to readers similar to the Curt Swan
Curt Swan
Douglas Curtis Swan was an American comic book artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 1950s through the 1980s.-Early life and career:Curt Swan, whose Swedish...
and Christopher Reeve
Christopher Reeve
Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, author and activist...
Supermans. It was also because he and Johns shared the same vision that allowed them to work so well.
Reception
Reviewing each issue, IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave high praise to the overall series, with most of the individual issues receiving ratings between 7.8 and 9.0. They stated that Johns "wisely sticks closely to the play book of recognizable Superman tropes, making the story feel familiar and iconic without feeling stale." In the end, the IGN consensus was "we've all been here before, but that familiarity isn't as problematic as you'd expect. Like a great jazz musician playing over a standard, Johns is able to bring enough new personality and style to the mix to make it feel fresh and almost entirely his own."
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
gave each issue in the series between 3.5 and 5 stars, stating "Johns and Frank are setting out to give us the absolute version of Superman's origin. Once and for all, or at least for the next so many years, this will be the book to come back to for Superman's origin story." iFanboy
IFanboy
iFanboy is a weekly video podcast and audio podcast produced by Revision3 which both focus on comic books, comic book publishing, and comic book creators. It stars Josh Flanagan, Conor Kilpatrick, and Ron Richards....
gave the finale to the series full ratings, stating that the series as a whole is "a conservative retelling when compared to, say, Mark Waid and Leinil Yu's Superman: Birthright. So if your expectation was for a revolution or even evolution, this book is decidedly a failure. But that's not the only ambition a storyteller ought to have. If you look at "Secret Origin" instead as a reexamination of Superman and his core relationships, I think it's pretty satisfying.