4 Must-Read Comics Before Watching James Gunn’s “Superman”
James Gunn’s Superman soars into theaters July 11. The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy writer/director, along with Peter Safran, are the two new heads of the newly unified and invigorated DC Studios, and they’ve made their ambitions clear. They announced a number of projects in the first chapter of the DC Universe (DCU) dubbed “Gods and Monsters,” in which Superman is the inaugural feature film. Other titles include Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Clayface, and Swamp Thing, as well as television series focusing on Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern Corps, and Booster Gold.
Gunn has teased plenty about the Man of Steel story, for instance, that it won’t be about his origins and that the film opens with an action sequence that parleys into Krypto the dog rescuing Kal-El. However, for the most part, the plot has been under a tight seal, with plenty of fan theories circulating. However, what isn’t a rumor are the influences Gunn referenced to bring this new Superman saga to light.
“All previous DC media influenced me,” Gunn told The Wrap. “I think that obviously the original Donner movie influenced me, but there are also a lot of things that this isn’t, like I’m not just making a Donner-type movie. It’s very different from that.”
Gunn pointed to All-Star Superman as a major influence and noted three other comic books as references: Superman for All Seasons, Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and Kingdom Come. All four had a role in shaping the character, themes, and story of Gunn’s Superman. So if you want to sink into the ethos behind the creativity, these are must-reads. Let’s look at how each might have influenced Gunn’s Kid from Krypton.
All-Star Superman
Introduced in November 2005, the 12-issue series was written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Quitely, and digitally inked by Jamie Grant. It was later adapted into an animated film, released by Warner Bros. Animation in 2011, which is also worth watching. The story revolves around Superman doing heroic deeds, all the while, overexposure to the Earth’s sun is killing him. Thematically, it’s all about Superman doing the right thing to help humanity, leading up to his eventual death. But before he dies, he reveals his secret identity to Louis Lane, which echoes what’s already been revealed in the director’s Superman trailer. Now, it wouldn’t seem like Gunn would go so far as actually to kill Superman in this film, but we wouldn’t take it off the table down the line. So expect a similar ethos for this film: Superman fighting for the success of the human race above anything else. But should we expect anything less from a hero?
Superman for All Seasons
Written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale, the four-part series was released in 1998 following the success of Batman: The Long Halloween. As the title suggests, the story unfolds through each passing season, starting in spring. It’s also not a Superman origin story, but one that centers on how the character came to be, which could hint at what we might expect from Gunn’s Superman: a story about who he is now and his arduous acceptance of his place in the world. This might be a stretch, but we could also see all four seasons in the film. We’ve seen the snowy Fortress of Solitude scenes in the trailers, and warmer temperatures on Earth. Gunn could use the season changing as a passage of time, but from what we’ve seen in the trailer, it appears that an extended period of time is a key plot point.
Also unique to the comic book is that each season is narrated by a different character: Pa Kent, Louis, Lex Luthor, and Lana Lang, a love interest of Clark Kent. Now we wouldn’t expect to see the drama of a love-triangle at the Daily Planet, but we wouldn’t put it past Gunn. Who remembers Star-Lord flirting with Nebula in Guardians Vol. 3? Sorry Gamora.
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?
The comic book is the oldest in the quarter, written by legendary Watchmen creator Alan Moore. It was released as a two-part story in 1986 and tells the final chapter of the Silver Age Superman, something Gunn said interested him in reading All-Star Superman. The first part is told by Lois Lane, who recounts the attacks against Superman, those close to him who have died, and the public’s discovery of his secret identity, Clark Kent – all plot points closely related to Gunn’s Superman. The second part sees Superman face the Legion of Super-Villains, a futuristic team of supervillains led by Lex Luthor. While the exact villains in this film are not the same, we wouldn’t be surprised by Lex having a bunch of goons under his thumb to annihilate Superman, whom he despises for, among other things, getting more attention than he does. Supergirl and Krypto the dog also make an appearance in the comic, with the four-legged superhero killing the villain Kryptonite Man during an ambush. So, could we see Krypto save Superman more than once?
Kingdom Come
Created by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, Kingdom Come was released in 1996, with a sequel called The Kingdom hitting shelves in 1999, sans Ross. The former sees Superman leave Earth for the Fortress of Solitude after Lois’s death. Then, a decade later, he’s convinced to return to action by Wonder Woman and reforms the Justice League. Interesting tidbit: Kingdom Come is where Wonder Woman gets her golden winged armor seen in Wonder Woman 1984, and by its end, the two superheroes are expecting a child. While Gunn’s Superman doesn’t quite showcase a Justice League, more of a Justice Gang, what he did take inspiration from is the costume. The two share similar, if not the exact same, “S” emblem on their chest, but with a different color palette. Now that’s a legacy.
James Gunn’s Superman releases into theaters on July 11.
Featured image: Caption: (L to r) NICHOLAS HOULT as Lex Luthor, DAVID CORENSWET as Superman and Director JAMES GUNN in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SUPERMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jessica Miglio
