Superman: The Feral Man of Steel
Encyclopedia
Superman
: The Feral Man
of Steel (Superman Annual #6) is a DC Comics
Elseworlds
special published in 1994
. Written by Darren Vincenzo, pencilled by Frank Fosco and inked by Stan Woch
.
In 19th century India Kal-El is raised by wolves. The story is loosely based on Rudyard Kipling
's Mowgli
stories, with added elements of Edgar Rice Burroughs
' Tarzan
novels.
. Meanwhile in England
, Sir Richard and Sir Ellis prepare for their next expedition; Lois Lane joins them this time. While in the jungle, they bump into Lex Luthor, who is also after the jungle man. The two groups decide to combine their efforts. The search continues for several days, and one night, two of Luthor's men try to kidnap Lois and steal Luthor's most prized possession, a big green gem he acquired in what appears to be Africa
. Their efforts are stopped, and Luthor's ruthlessness is evident after he executes them both. Moments later, the camp hears the sounds of a stampede coming their way.
from Clark's home world of Krypton
. In a few hours, Luthor and his men seize the opportunity and take over the camp. Sir Richard is tied to a tree and left to die as Luthor sets fire to the camp with Lois and Clark as his prisoners.
.
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 Feral Man
Feral child
A feral child is a human child who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, and has no experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language...
of Steel (Superman Annual #6) is a 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...
Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
special published in 1994
1994 in comics
-Year overall:* Huge changes in the marketplace force many retailers and small publishers out of business...
. Written by Darren Vincenzo, pencilled by Frank Fosco and inked by Stan Woch
Stan Woch
Stan Woch is an American artist who has worked in the comics industry. His early career includes work as an assistant to Gray Morrow on the Barbara Cartland Romances and Buck Rogers comic strips...
.
In 19th century India Kal-El is raised by wolves. The story is loosely based on Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
's Mowgli
Mowgli
Mowgli is a fictional character from India who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his fantasies, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book , which also featured stories about other...
stories, with added elements of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
' Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
novels.
Tiger, Tiger
The first part of the story starts with K'L'L, whose ship crashes deep in the Indian jungle. He is saved from the tiger Khan by M'R'R, the she-wolf. She adopts him and nurses K'L'L as one of her own. When the time comes for M'R'R to present her human child to the tribe, none but her and her mate would speak for the man cub, which as Khan points out means that according to the law, the child is to be left in the jungle to die. The black panther Jahd Bahlja speaks for K'L'L and Khan is foiled again. K'L'L grows and starts to develop his powers. An expedition led by Sir Richard Burton and his travelling companion Sir John Ellis is interrupted when the men he has employed shoot and kill M'R'R and one of her cubs. When K'L'L hears the yelps of his mother, he flies to the camp and starts tossing the men like rag dolls, almost killing Sir John. He is only deterred by Sir Richard, who somehow talks K'L'L out of killing his companion. K'L'L grabs the two dead wolves and flies off.Lord of The Wolves
While K'L'L mourns, Khan has taken control of the pack, overthrowing A'K'L the old leader. Jahd tells K'L'L what is happening and he rushes to his home, challenging Khan for leadership. In the battle, while Khan puts up a strong fight, even piercing the wild man's skin with his claws, K'L'L kills Khan and becomes the leader of the tribe. He skins the tiger and takes from him "that which earns him the fear and respect of the entire Jungle." He swears to avenge the death of his mother and hunt the Man-Pack that killed her. Jahd Ballad shows K'L'L the space ship from which he came and he takes a strange hieroglyph from it, the familiar S-shieldSuperman logo
The Superman logo, also informally known as the S shield, is the iconic emblem for the fictional DC Comics superhero Superman. As a representation of the first superhero, it served as a template for character design decades after Superman's first appearance...
. Meanwhile in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Sir Richard and Sir Ellis prepare for their next expedition; Lois Lane joins them this time. While in the jungle, they bump into Lex Luthor, who is also after the jungle man. The two groups decide to combine their efforts. The search continues for several days, and one night, two of Luthor's men try to kidnap Lois and steal Luthor's most prized possession, a big green gem he acquired in what appears to be Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Their efforts are stopped, and Luthor's ruthlessness is evident after he executes them both. Moments later, the camp hears the sounds of a stampede coming their way.
Civilization!
K'L'L' and an army of jungle animals attack the camp. The jungle man singles out Sir Richard, who is powerless against him. Only Lois is able to convince the jungle man to stop. The animals leave the camp and Lois starts to teach him some English. K'L'L's education continues, he is even given an English name: Clark. Everyone is amazed at Clark's progress and abilities until one day, when Luthor proposes to Lois, offering her his jewel as an engagement present. She refuses and it becomes obvious to Luthor that she has fallen in love with Clark. Luthor becomes infuriated and threatens Lois. While they struggle, Clark comes to the rescue. However, when he enters Luthor's tent, the jewel starts to weaken him and he collapses, we can assume that the jewel is a large piece of kryptoniteKryptonite
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...
from Clark's home world of 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...
. In a few hours, Luthor and his men seize the opportunity and take over the camp. Sir Richard is tied to a tree and left to die as Luthor sets fire to the camp with Lois and Clark as his prisoners.
Perdition's Flame
Two months later in England, Lex is showing Clark as a sideshow attraction to the world. Luthor plans to force K'L'L' to assassinate Queen Victoria and take over the country. He has a polished piece of his kryptonite jewel on top of a staff as well as a sword encrusted with some pieces as a way to command the wild man of India. He also blackmails him by threatening to hurt Lois. Clark ultimately refuses to assassinate the queen and attacks Luthor. In the ensuing melee, the building is set on fire and Clark's animal friends escape. Clark is kept at bay by Luthor's sword until Sir Richard Burton appears and duels with Luthor. Sir Richard wins, throwing Lex off the building. Clark saves Lois and Richard, and is knighted K'L'L, Sir Clark of Kent by the Queen. His powers bring a new shine on the British Empire, who now comprises one-third of the Earth. Lois and Clark's children all share the same powers as their father, and it is assured to the reader that the empire is at the dawn of a new age, one that will never end.Characters
Most characters in Superman: The Feral Man of Steel are based on existing DC characters or are based on the cast of The Jungle BookThe Jungle Book
The Jungle Book is a collection of stories by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. The stories were first published in magazines in 1893–4. The original publications contain illustrations, some by Rudyard's father, John Lockwood Kipling. Kipling was born in India and spent the first six...
.
Main Characters
- Clark Kent/Kal-ElClark KentClark 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....
: His spaceship crashes in the middle of the Indian Jungle, and is given the name K'L'L by wolves, it means 'white skin' in their language. As he grows, he gains the power to fly, has invulnerable skin, heat vision, super speed, super strength and is able to communicate with animals. Resembles both TarzanTarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
and MowgliMowgliMowgli is a fictional character from India who originally appeared in Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh" and then went on to become the most prominent and memorable character in his fantasies, The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book , which also featured stories about other...
. - Khan: A man-eating tiger, and K'L'L's first enemy. Closely resembles Shere KhanShere KhanShere Khan is a fictional tiger of the Indian jungle. He is the chief antagonist in two of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories featuring Mowgli. Shere Khan is named after an Afghan Prince Kipling encountered on his trips to Afghanistan...
from the Jungle book. He is later killed by K'L'L who then skins Khan. - Jahd Bahlja the Panther: K'L'L's mentor. She saves K'L'L from Khan. Closely resembles BagheeraBagheeraBagheera the black-toned Indian Leopard is an animal fictional character in Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli stories in The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book...
from the Jungle book. - Sir Richard Burton: A British explorer of the Indian Jungle, he apparently had a relationship with Lois prior to the story.
- Sir John Ellis: Another British explorer that accompanies Sir Richard.
- Lois LaneLois LaneLois 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 ....
: She is as always a headstrong American girl who falls for K'L'L. - Lex LuthorLex LuthorLex 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...
: A power-hungry explorer. He has travelled far in search of riches and fame. This version sports a full head of hair and mutton chops.
Secondary Characters
- M'R'R, the She-Wolf: A wolf who adopts K'L'L as a child. She is killed by hunters.
- Richard Francis Kent: First son of Lois and Clark.
- Diablo: Luthor's guide, associate and assistant. He helps him enslave Clark.
- M'R'R Lane Kent: Second child of Lois and Clark, and their only daughter. She is named after Clark's mother.
- K'R'K Clark Kent: The last child of Lois and Clark.
- Hathi the Elephant: An Indian elephant and friend of K'L'L. A reference to the elephant HathiHathiHathi is a fictional animal character created by Rudyard Kipling for the Mowgli stories collected in The Jungle Book and The Second Jungle Book . Hathi is a bull elephant that lives in the jungle. Kipling named him after hāthī , the Hindi word for "elephant".-Kipling's character:Hathi is head of...
from the Jungle book. In Hindi, Hathi also means 'elephant'. - Bandar: A monkey and friend of K'L'L. He teaches him to ease stone knives and other tools. A reference to the Bandar-logBandar-logBandar-log , a term used in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book to describe monkeys - specifically, Langur monkeys.In Hindi, Bandar means 'monkey' and log means 'people'. The Bandar-log feature most prominently in the story "Kaa's Hunting", where their scatterbrained anarchy causes them to be treated...
from the Jungle Book. In Hindi, Bandar also means 'monkey'.