It's been a long and exhausting few weeks. But I haven't forgotten my promise to post more images. First up is Superman. Man of Steel. Last son of Krypton. You might have heard of him. He's that predecessor to Supergirl that pops up every now and again. Kind of like how Perseus is an ancestor of Hercules? A second string character, but tied close enough to the mythos that we couldn't ignore him completely. Hopefully, the appearances of this old guy wearing a Supergirl costume isn't confusing to younger readers unfamiliar with this nostalgic artifact.
Anyway... I like how Eric was drawing Superman in these images. Smaller eyes. I'm a fan of the squinty-eyed Superman.
Next up is Zor-El. AKA: Supergirl's father.
Eric was experimenting in a slightly different direction here. More cartoonish features. Larger eyes, bigger head. Doesn't work as well for me as it makes him feel to young. In fact, Zor-El in my head was much older. Almost wizened.
Zor-El doesn't actually appear much in the comics. I decided pretty early on that, in regards to parental figures, Alura served the story better. There are certain pre-conceptions in place in regards to parental roles. Stereotypically, the mother daughter relationship is different from the father daughter relationship. Real life is certainly much more complicated than this, but because I had so few pages to tell the story, it seemed best to use whatever preconceptions I could.
So Alura could be more emotional in less pages than Zor-El could. She could be maternal. And when we turn around and reveal that Alura as seen through the communications device was Mxyzptlk (okay, it's more implied than directly stated) that softer, more maternal becomes extra alarming.
There was a lengthy Zor-El scene written though. he has a speech during the rocket launch that I really liked. Maybe I'll post it...
Yup. Here it is:
PANEL 1:
The town square of ArgoCity. In the center of the large courtyard is a rocket with a Superman emblem on it. There is a stage at one end of the courtyard. Assembled are the masses of Argo, while baton-twirling girls dressed in Superman uniforms stand assembled around the rocket.
On the stage is a massive amount of futuristic-looking space equipment. Kara’s father Zor-El stands at the center, speaking into a floating space microphone. Behind Zor El are dozens of monitors. His image is being broadcast on each and every one with his name underneath.
CAPTION: “Early the next morning…”
ZOR-EL: “Citizens of Argo, fellow Kryptonians. We gather here today, as we do once every year, to bear witness and honor the legacy of our beloved home planet, Krypton.”
PANEL 2:
Close-up on Zor-El.
ZOR-EL: “Though our home world is no more, and we suffer exile in this pocket dimension of Quasi-Space, the heroic ideals of our noble culture live on.”
PANEL 3:
Zor-El gestures, and the monitors now show Superman flying across a blue sky with the top of the Daily Planet building in the background.
ZOR-EL: “What was once a day of mourning the loss of Krypton is now a day of celebration! These distant broadcasts of Krypton’s surviving son show us that our people are not forgotten!”
PANEL 4:
ZOR-EL: “Our cousin Superman thinks he’s alone, the last of his kind. Though the dimensional barrier limits us to receiving these broadcasts only, our scientists have devised a one-time method to send material through the rift.”
ZOR-EL: “And so, we have prepared this rocket…”
PANEL 5:
Focus on the rocket. The crowds are enthusiastic. In formation, the Supergirls twirl their batons.
ZOR-EL: “…our message to Superman!”
Next time: Belinda Zee!
Anyway... I like how Eric was drawing Superman in these images. Smaller eyes. I'm a fan of the squinty-eyed Superman.
Next up is Zor-El. AKA: Supergirl's father.
Eric was experimenting in a slightly different direction here. More cartoonish features. Larger eyes, bigger head. Doesn't work as well for me as it makes him feel to young. In fact, Zor-El in my head was much older. Almost wizened.
Zor-El doesn't actually appear much in the comics. I decided pretty early on that, in regards to parental figures, Alura served the story better. There are certain pre-conceptions in place in regards to parental roles. Stereotypically, the mother daughter relationship is different from the father daughter relationship. Real life is certainly much more complicated than this, but because I had so few pages to tell the story, it seemed best to use whatever preconceptions I could.
So Alura could be more emotional in less pages than Zor-El could. She could be maternal. And when we turn around and reveal that Alura as seen through the communications device was Mxyzptlk (okay, it's more implied than directly stated) that softer, more maternal becomes extra alarming.
There was a lengthy Zor-El scene written though. he has a speech during the rocket launch that I really liked. Maybe I'll post it...
Yup. Here it is:
PANEL 1:
The town square of ArgoCity. In the center of the large courtyard is a rocket with a Superman emblem on it. There is a stage at one end of the courtyard. Assembled are the masses of Argo, while baton-twirling girls dressed in Superman uniforms stand assembled around the rocket.
On the stage is a massive amount of futuristic-looking space equipment. Kara’s father Zor-El stands at the center, speaking into a floating space microphone. Behind Zor El are dozens of monitors. His image is being broadcast on each and every one with his name underneath.
CAPTION: “Early the next morning…”
ZOR-EL: “Citizens of Argo, fellow Kryptonians. We gather here today, as we do once every year, to bear witness and honor the legacy of our beloved home planet, Krypton.”
PANEL 2:
Close-up on Zor-El.
ZOR-EL: “Though our home world is no more, and we suffer exile in this pocket dimension of Quasi-Space, the heroic ideals of our noble culture live on.”
PANEL 3:
Zor-El gestures, and the monitors now show Superman flying across a blue sky with the top of the Daily Planet building in the background.
ZOR-EL: “What was once a day of mourning the loss of Krypton is now a day of celebration! These distant broadcasts of Krypton’s surviving son show us that our people are not forgotten!”
PANEL 4:
ZOR-EL: “Our cousin Superman thinks he’s alone, the last of his kind. Though the dimensional barrier limits us to receiving these broadcasts only, our scientists have devised a one-time method to send material through the rift.”
ZOR-EL: “And so, we have prepared this rocket…”
PANEL 5:
Focus on the rocket. The crowds are enthusiastic. In formation, the Supergirls twirl their batons.
ZOR-EL: “…our message to Superman!”
Next time: Belinda Zee!
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