November 23, 2020
Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC relaunched a number of their superheroes in order to realign their heroes with this new continuity. With Superman, this was achieved with John Byrne’s fantastic Man of Steel mini-series, which re-established Superman’s origin as the sole survivor of Krypton. Following Man of Steel, Byrne took over the core Superman title, continuing the storytelling he had masterfully set up.
At the beginning of the first issue, Superman is still trying to understand his origin as an alien. In the process, he tracks down the lab his rocket has been taken to, only to discover the scientist within has been dead for several weeks. Rushing back to Metropolis to meet with Lois, the pair discover a bank being broken into. Lois and Clark investigate, only to be confronted by a hulking brute calling himself Metallo. He claims to have knowledge of who they both are, but also claims he will be the one kill Superman. Clark manages to make a quick change into Superman in order to take Metallo on, but for once in his life, Superman is beginning to feel incredibly weak.
This is the Post-Crisis introduction of Kryptonite, and the way it is introduced and handled in this story is perfect. Given Superman has little knowledge of his home world, the introduction of Kryptonite is not only ‘new’ to the reader, but to Superman himself. The series kicks off with a brilliant first story, as it shows that this is a Superman who is capable, but still has a lot to learn.
The story ends with Metallo being whisked away, most likely by Lex Luthor, but this first issue adds a very interesting spin to Superman’s relationship with Kryptonite, and one that is prime for exploration.