A Myth is Inconsumable (Superman The Dark Side)

Commissioned by Michael

Mister Miracle by Tom King and Mitch Gerrads

Superman does not belong in the realm of the New Gods. This is not a condemnation of the character, but a simple statement of facts that many a writer has missed for very sympathetic reasons. Those being the New Gods saga written by Jack Kirby began in the pages of a Superman title. Indeed, Darkseid himself first appeared in an issue of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (specifically, issue #134). But the thing about Superman’s interactions with Darkseid is that there’s never a face to face confrontation between the two. Superman’s always in the margins of the narrative of the war between the New Gods, dealing with minor concerns of the war such as the planet of the Universal Horror Monsters or Don Rickles’ evil twin brother (it should be noted that though Darkseid appears in an issue of a Superman comic, he only appears on a television screen, never once actually being present in the flesh). Contrast that with the Forever People literally going to war with Darkseid’s version of Disneyland or Orion acting as a subversive agent against Darkseid’s ploys to make everyone afraid of everyone, and you can see a marked difference in importance.

The closest Superman ever gets to a one on one fight with Darkseid is an issue of The Forever People, easily the weakest of Jack Kirby’s New Gods stories. There, Darkseid has kidnapped one of the Forever People, Beautiful Dreamer, in order to discover the Anti-Life Equation: the ultimate Red Pill, which will make people realize that the only way is through Darkseid. And yet, Superman never has fisticuffs with Darkseid throughout this encounter. Indeed, he’s a largely passive presence in the scene, to the point where the sole panel where both Superman and Darkseid appear, the Man of Steel is shaded to such a degree that, without the rest of the page, you could imagine any other superhero taking his place.

But perhaps the most telling bit is in the penultimate issue of Superman’s involvement in the New Gods saga, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #147: Superman in Supertown. There, the Man of Tomorrow gets a chance to visit New Genesis, where, as shown at the end of the first Forever People issue, he longed to be. There, a flying strong man is considered normal to the point where him entering New Genesis isn’t even remarked upon with a “Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman!” And yet, every time Superman tries to help, he ultimately misunderstands the situations and ends up doing more harm than good. Ultimately, as Superman confides to Highfather (without ever identifying himself as such), there’s little need for someone like Superman on New Genesis. He doesn’t adjust well to a world where being a superhuman is just another mundanity like being able to sing or be a pal. And so, Superman returns to Earth instead of remaining on this strange alien world that, by all rights, should be his home, but isn’t. Earth certainly wasn’t where he was born, but it is where he feels the most at ease. It’s a place where he believes he belongs. The same could be said of Scott Free, I suppose (though, to a different degree. Ultimately, putting Superman into the mythology of the New Gods would be akin to putting him into the mythology of William Blake’s pantheon).

A key aspect of Jonathan and Martha Kent
is that they're both flagrantly socialists.
This is what they'd be like if they were capitalists.

Which brings us to Superman The Dark Side, an Elseworlds comic that hypothesizes what would happen if Superman’s rocket landed on Apokolips. What would happen if Superman were an actual main figure within the New Gods saga and how would that warp the DC Universe around him? The answer, as it turns out, is actually a lot better than it could have been. For starters, the narrative is aware of the anticapitalist aspect of the original New Gods comics (again, literally going to war with Disneyland) as well as the ultimate message that it’s our connections to one another that help us through the darkest times. Most tales of Superman dealing with the New Gods would simplify the narrative such that Darkseid would be a mere Super Duper Bad Guy Who Punches Really Really Hard.

But The Dark Side knows that Darkseid isn’t merely the baddiest baddie there is. He is the ultimate shape of evil; that which desires simply to be the boot that stomps on the face of existence forever. Complex in his multitudes, but simple in his ambitions. To even try to play the game on his terms would only end in a sound and thorough defeat. The logic of a (modern) Superman story where all can be defeated with a few punches is rejected as useless in favor of collective action.

That isn’t to say that the comic is perfect. I don’t fully agree with the decision to have Scott Free be displaced into the Metron role as part of the consequences of Superman being on Apokolips, not the least of which because the comic doesn’t really sell the Kal-El/Big Barda romance. Some of the plot details are a bit off as well. One moment I remember finding a bit odd even on my first read was that Lois was perfectly fine with Kal-El being a planet murdering bastard until Orion told her he destroyed New Genesis (a thing Kal-El brought up three times). And the comic doesn’t really explore the imperialist implications of Krypton that it brings up near the end of Act II/beginning of Act III.

But there’s a lot to love with the comic. The designs are delightful in both their adherence to the original Jack Kirby designs as well as the new spins Kieron Dwyer brings to them. I love the riff on Jon and Martha Kent being less a lonely family in need of a child and more capitalists who would sell each other out if it meant they could get rich. Making Bibbo the heart of the book is an inspired choice that highlights the themes of community and shines a light on a path forward for a war torn society such that the New Gods find themselves within. And Granny Goodness doming Lex Luthor is always going to be delightful.

It’s not as good as, say, Grant Morrison’s or Jack Kirby’s or even Tom King’s efforts with the New Gods. But, if you want to read a fun little comic, you could do worse.

"Now, Superman cannot "consume" himself since a myth is "inconsumable." The hero of the classical myth became "inconsumable" precisely because he was already "consumed" in some exemplary action. Or else he had the possibility of  continuing rebirth or of symbolizing some vegetative cycle--or at least a certain circularity of events or even of life itself. But Superman is myth on condition of being a creature immersed in everyday life, in the present, apparently tied to our own conditions of life and death even if endowed with superior faculties. An immortal Superman would no longer be a man, but a god, and the public's identification with his double identity would fall by the wayside."
-Umberto Eco, The Myth of Superman