DC Direct: John Byrne Superman

John Byrne Superman

In 1986, DC Comics decided to revamp their Superman comic books with the hopes of making Superman more accessible to the new generation. They set the stage of this revamp by setting in motion a continuity altering 12 issue limited series called Crisis on Infinite Earths. This mind bending tale brought together different generations of Superheroes as well as the multiple versions birthed from the Golden Age down to the Bronze Age, wiping them clean by forging them into a one new Universe/Continuity. The Golden Age Superman was revealed to be a different Superman from another universe. Same goes for The Silver Age Superman. Both were wiped clean from continuity (though the Golden Age Superman was later revealed to be from a different alternate earth) to make way for the Modern Age Superman.

Man of Steel

With Superman's powers and stories getting more and more ridiculous, DC decided to wipe the slate clean by revamping Superman. Bringing in John Byrne to write and illustrate the new Superman, Byrne whipped off a new origin story that streamlined all of the key elements of Superman and wrote them to be more accessible to new readers. The result was the 6 part mini-series called Man of Steel. In this beautifully crafted mini series, Byrne stripped off Superman from all of the excess ridiculous powers that he possessed during the Silver and Bronze Age period. He opened his story in Krypton and chronicled Superman's (as Clark Kent) early life in Smallville, Kansas. He introduced the Daily Planet Newspaper staff and also established Superman's first encounter with Batman (as well as his first encounter with his arch enemy Lex Luthor). He also revamped Lex Luthor from being a mad scientist into a power hungry billionaire. This hunger for power would drive Luthor to devote his life into finding a way to kill Superman. Byrne wrote Luthor's earliest attempt to destroy Superman by introducing Bizarro, a clone of Superman who's creation was financed by Lex Luthor. Byrne also ended the mini series by firmly establishing Superman's American roots and his loyalty to his adoptive planet, Earth.    

The Action Figure with Byrne's actual Superman art

After revamping Superman, Byrne would go on to revamp the immediate environment of Superman by taking on them via three four issue mini series of each respective worlds (World of Krypton, World of Smallville, and World of Metropolis). Byrne adopted many elements from the Richard Donner film Superman The Movie, which was starred by Christopher Reeve, and incorporated it to his revamped Superman. With the revamp completed, Byrne would take on the writing (and sometimes illustrating) chores of three monthly Superman books for two years, firmly establishing his vision of Superman. I could say that Byrne was the late 80's most identifiable Superman writer and illustrator. His contributions to the success of the Modern Age Superman is incomparable. Despite his brief tenure as a Superman writer, his handling of virtually all the Superman monthly books for two straight years made him deserving enough to be mentioned among the ranks of the greatest Superman writers ever.

Superman

The Action Figure: I'm not really sure if DC Direct based this figure from John Byrne's Superman but since It comes from the Superman Through the Ages Box Set, I just presumed that this was so. The Box Set contained repaints, new head sculpt, or partial re-sculpts of previously released figures from DC Direct. They chose three different representations of Superman based on the art of Joe Shuster, John Byrne (presumably), Ed Mcguiness, and Jim Lee. I'm led to only presume if this is the John Byrne version because the figure's head sculpt. It is kinda off. The cheekbones though is very reminiscent of Byrne's signature cheekbones. The body is a straight reuse of DC Direct's earlier release, the Justice Superman which was based on the art of Alex Ross (I will be posting a comparison shot of this in my Alex Ross Superman review). The articulation of this figure is pretty much standard DC Direct. It has a swivel neck. ball jointed shoulders, pivot elbows, swivel wrists, pivot hips, and pivot knees. I think the cape that is used in this figure is a newer cape because the Justice version is not as wide looking as this one. This definitely isn't one of the best Superman figures out there. But the Box Set is worth getting if only for the sole reason that you want to start up a Superman Action Figure collection featuring diverse artistic representations of the character.

The Man of Steel Graphic Novel

Defining comic book in my collection featuring this figure: So what else could it be? Of course it has to be The Man of Steel mini series. John Byrne made a name with Marvel characters, but his revamp of Superman is what put him on top of the A-list. Byrne wonderfully crafted and dissected all the key elements of Superman and presented them to the modern audience in a subtle yet effective manner. Divided into six issues, Byrne dwelled on the different elements of Superman's origins on an issue per issue basis. Issue one would tell the tale of the last dying days of Krypton and how a baby, the last survivor of his home planet, was put on a journey to find a new planet, a new set of parents,  and a new home. It spoke about Clark's growing up years in Smallville as well as his first public appearance as a mysterious flying man, with the final page of the issue featuring a splash page of Superman (in full costume) flying to the skies. Issue two would dwell on Superman's first appearance in Metropolis as well as his initial dashing adventures and his supporting casts, the Daily Planet Staff. Superman's powers were now simplified and stripped off from all the ridiculousness of the Silver and Bronze Age Superman. Issue three introduces us to a new relationship dynamic between Superman and Batman as well as their first adventure as a team. Issue four centered on a revamped Lex Luthor, now a power hungry billionaire, who was humiliated by Superman when Superman turned down his offer to "buy" Superman's services and was sent to jail. Issue five introduces us to Superman's first super powered foe in the modern age, a new Bizarro Superman which was a clone of himself. The final issue of the mini series dealt with the finishing touches of Byrne's Superman revamp, further grounding Superman to be more relatable to us by establishing his loyalty to his adoptive planet, Planet Earth. Until to this very day, Byrne's Man of Steel continues to be the benchmark of how a Superhero origin story should be told.

I'm parting this post with two more photos below, featuring action shots of John Byrne's Superman.  

Superman against one of Luthor's soldiers in a Lexcorp battle suit

Superman and the Daily Planet Staff

For the next post, I might center on the historical evolution of the 6 inch Superman Action Figure. Stay Tuned!