Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow

Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? by Alan Moore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This actually contains three Superman tales. It probably would have been called "Superman by Alan Moore" but you know how that goes.

Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow: Years after the disappearance of Superman, a reporter from the Daily Planet interviews Lois Elliot, formerly Lois Lane, about Superman's last days...

Prior to the John Byrne reboot of Superman, this was the last story featuring the Superman of the Silver Age, the big blue boy scout with super ventriloquism and microscopic vision numbering among his many powers.

Lots of crazy shit happens in this one. Bizarro goes on a rampage and kills himself. Pete Ross is murdered. Clark Kent is exposed as Superman. An army of Metallos storm the Daily Planet! And that's just in the first four or five pages!

Many of Superman's villains and some of his allies, noteably the Legion of Super Heroes, show up during his farewell tour. Alan Moore shows his love for the Superman mythos of the past 50 years up to that point and pulls out all the stops. The feel reminds me of how he lovingly created homages to the '60s Marvel characters in 1963 years later.

Something I didn't notice the first time I read this: There are cameos by Vartox and Superwoman!

The mastermind behind Superman's woes is revealed and Superman kills him. Wracked with guilt, Superman exposes himself to gold Kryptonite and was never seen again. I thought it was a pretty fitting way to say goodbye to the Superman of the previous era and usher in the new one. It was sad at times, even though it was out of continuity. Poor Krypto. The corny ass wink at the end made me smile like a jackass.

The Jungle Line: Infected by Kryptonian fungus, Superman drives south to die...

This one is a team-up between Superman and Swamp Thing. Well, more of an encounter. Superman is having fever hallucinations and does some not so nice things to old Swampy. Things turn out okay, though. It's also a good reminder that Alan Moore writes a great Swamp Thing.

For the Man Who Has Everything: Wonder Woman, Batman, and Robin arrive at the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's birthday, only to find him in the thrall of an alien symbiont and Mongul lurking in the background...

I liked this almost as much as the title story. While Superman hallucinates life on a Krypton that didn't explode, Batman, Robin, and Wonder Woman take on Mongul. Once Superman gets free of the fungus, he has a slobberknocker with Mongul. The ending was great, though a little out of character for Superman.

It's a shame Alan Moore never got a long run on Superman. He has a good feel for the character and these are some great Superman stories. I guess I could track down his run on Supreme. Four out of five stars.

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