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Nov 17, 2008 11:20 AM
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2009 is going to be a big year for DC Comics' Superman. He's going to leave his comic book home for the last 70 years, and he's also going to be abandoning his adopted home planet forever (or the comic book version thereof, which is at least six months). What could make the Man of Steel run away from home like this? We're blaming the military industrial complex - and a need for sales.
Superman's lonely future was revealed by DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio, in an interview with the LA Times' Hero Complex blog:
Superman has been the star of "Action Comics" for its entire run, essentially, and he will be leaving it and handing it over to new characters. The only time he hasn’t appeared in the book, I believe, was after “The Death of Superman,” in those years. So this is a lot of fun for us. I think that’s going to get people excited and scratching their heads and wondering what’s going on. In his own book, "Superman," there will be a dramatic turn as the hero leaves Earth and it seems like he’s leaving for good. We’ll follow his adventures in space more so than his adventures on Earth, and that’s a big and exciting thing.
So what could be behind Superman's decision to leave Earth - and, presumably, his wife Lois Lane? The seeds are already being planted in the various Superman comics being published by DC. In the current "New Krypton" storyline, readers have not only seen 1,000,000 Kryptonians adopt Earth as their new home, but the US Military viewing this as a potential alien invasion and making plans to take care of the problem. The man in charge of the planning...? Lois Lane's father, General Sam Lane - and to make matters worse, he's inducted Lex Luthor to the cause, as well. As we heading for a showdown that will make Superman feel as if he's no longer wanted on Earth - and betrayed by the woman he loves? Suddenly, that looks more than a little bit likely...
(It's worth noting that this isn't the first time that Superman has abandoned Earth - he last did it in 1988's Exile storyline - which followed a period where Superman was absent from his own comics. Everything old is new again, apparently.)
We've got an exclusive preview of this week's issue of Supergirl tomorrow that will shed some more light on the military plan against the Man of Tomorrow, so stay tuned.
DC sends Superman into space and gives Batman his last rites [Hero Complex]
Send an email to Graeme McMillan, the author of this post, at graeme@io9.com.
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