io9: krypton

Top Ten Most Realistic Planets in Science Fiction

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:55:00 PDT

One of the worst examples of unrealistic science in movies is the overly simple alien planet. Oftentimes, our heroes will visit the desert planet, or the Irish planet. But the best extraterrestrial worlds in science fiction are the ones with variety and a realistic ecosystem. They have cities as well as countryside, and a range of environments. Here's our guide to the most realistic — and interesting — planets in science fiction.

Miranda

Krypton

Meredith Woerner — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:24:06 PDT

Too bad Krypton and its population of good-looking scientists blew up. It was the classic futuristic-looking planet in comics, whose appearance evolved as our conception of the future changed. The cities featured beautiful architecture relying heavily on Art Deco. Besides a distinctive architecture, it also had a fairly developed government style, with the Science Council and a whole system of justice that included the Phantom Zone prison. Plus Krypton had a variety of environments, including the Scarlet Jungle, volcanoes and mountains. Plug me into your fast-paced society Krypton, just jettison me out before the place blows up.

Superman's Powers Are Sketchy

Kevin Kelly — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:40:15 PST

How exactly do Superman's kryptonian powers work? I mean, how do you account for the super-speed, the way he gets his abilities from the yellow sun, his super-breath, and even how he shaves in the morning? Now you can have the answers to these crucial questions and more at your fingertips. Philipp Lenssen gives you a quick lesson in stick figures (via Sketchcast) on how all these powers work, in a very no-nonsense fashion. Sit your non-Superman converts down and see if they come away enlightened, confused, or wanting those few minutes of their life back. Check it out.

A Kryptonian City Refracts The Blood Red Sunlight

charliejane — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:30:00 PST

It's sunset on Krypton. The towers of Krypton grew organically, like crystals, but then humans carved and polished them afterwards. That's the theory that concept artist Jason Dunn brought to a Krypton flashback in a recent episode of Smallville. This mix of the organic and the hand-crafted informed Dunn's sketches and matte painting for the episode.

This "cathedral-like structure, in the middle of a vast wasteland," would be similar to Clark's Fortress of Solitude, says Dunn. But it wouldn't be as chaotic looking, because the Kryptonians carved and buffed these structures after they grew out of the rocky landscape. You can see more pics, plus a movie of the final results, over at Dunn's site.

Planet Krypton Concept Art [Hawkeye's Sketchblog]