I just a got a request by pm to post the plans elite had for his Superman title. Here it is.
Alright, so I've been slowly but surely compiling my notes for Ultimate Superman into a format for liquidsword. Here's what I've managed to make understandable to anyone but me, and I was wondering for your honest opinion.
Recap of what’s happened so far:
Ultimate Superman Issue #1-4: Superman becomes a hero and stops a robotic attack on Metropolis.
Ultimate Superman #5-9: Morgan Edge is introduced as the head of Intergang, Parasite II is created and proves a match for Superman. Lana is reintroduced to Supes life. Superman kills Parasite.
Ultimate Superman #10-11, #13: Nine months after The Parasite Event Clark is sent to the “Overworld” (Overman’s alternate reality) where he is defeated by Overman. He reconnects with Lana once more. He defeats an imposter Superman and an Impish figure kills the imposter. Clark is kidnapped to Earth-3. Alexander Luthor of Earth-3 explains to Clark that a mysterious energy is the motivation for Superman being expelled from Earth-3 and Clark being kidnapped to it. Overman is shown to be the ringleader, killing Clark, and destroying the mysterious energy.
Ultimate Superman #12: Lex Luthor embarks on a quest to discover what has happened to his missing friend and we get our first look at his childhood and origins. He is approached by his father, Lionel Luthor, after many years of believing he is dead.
Ultimate Superman Annual #1: We see as Lex attempts to council his friend, Clark, after killing Parasite. Jonathan Kent dies from a heart attack after seeing Clark murder Parasite on the news.
Planes for near future:
Clark is dead, but obviously that can’t last too long. I plan for Cark to be thrown into some altered state of reality to where he must rewatch the mistakes he has made since he killed parasite. But the kicker is he doesn’t see his mistakes through his eyes, instead through the eyes of his loved ones. This gives the ability to still tell the story through Clark’s eyes, but simultaneously telling it through other characters’ eyes.
Clark is Dead Arc: #14-23
Issue 14 will be mainly just Clark being confronted by a strange otherworldly being and having everything explained to him about the terms for him to be given a second chance. Also, it will feature a short script from Martha’s POV covering Jonathan’s funeral that Clark fails to attend because he is in the fortress of solitude.
Issue 15 will follow Clark watching Lex as he goes to visit Bibbo at the Angel’s Place bar in the slums and is mugged, but saved by gangbuster. Parasite then kills everyone in the lab where he was being held and Lex is called in to deal with it, deciding that nobody can know other than the people who already do.
Issue 16 covers Gangbuster as he is approached by Lex to deal with the deadly Parasite monster. Gangbuster agrees but fails to protect a dozen civilians from being killed by Parasite. The issue ends with Lex introducing Gangbuster to the population and gangbuster gives a little speech about how he plans to clean up the city.
Issue 17 follows Lana as she falls into poverty and thrown into the slums, being saved by Morgan Edge one night after an attempted rape, and she promises to work for him as a prostitute to pay it off. The issue climaxes with her being attacked by Parasite and Gangbuster stopping the monster and killing it. One more section is shown of Superman returning and speaking with Lex.
Issue 18 follows Lana as she is approached by Clark in a chance to reconnect, but she let’s slip that Edge is causing her trouble. It then skips back to Clark where the strange entity ells him that that’s when Overman began to watch him so closely.
Issue 19 follows Lex as he has a meeting with Edge over Intergang pulling out or the Chinatown district. The meeting goes south when Superman arrives and attacks Edge. Superman destroys Metallo after a quick battle that also took the lives of fourteen innocent bystanders. Superman manages to catch up with Edge and after another short battle, kills him. A cut back to Clark where the entity asks him if he sees what he did wrong? Clark replies with a yes, he sees that killing people is wrong, and then says that he doesn’t want to return to life, because he doesn’t deserve it.
Issue 20 follows the entity telling Clark that his death has affected so many so negatively. Cut to the story about Lex and Lionel I began in Issue #12. Lionel tells Lex about the multiple Earths and says that Clark had to die for the greater good. Lex tells his father he won’t stop looking for Clark no matter what. The issue ends with him enter Clark’s apartment to speak with Lana but finding her dead and Overman standing over her body.
Issue 21 shows Overman explaining to Lex that a plan has been in the making for many years, and that he shouldn’t dare to interfere with it at this stage. Lex informs Overman that he would do anything for a close friend, and Overman takes Lex to the “Overworld” where he shows him a completely annhinlated world due to nuclear war.
Issue 22 shows Overman explaining to Lex that when Clark left after he killed Parasite he went to the Fortress and fell into a deep slumber where he was manipulated and sent to the “Overworld” causing its inhabitants to go into an all out nuclear war when Clark kills Hitler’s grandson Adolf Hitler V. Lex returns to Earth-1 and receives a call telling him how to bring Clark back from an unknown caller and then, after hanging up, calls Martha up.
Issue 23 follows Lex meeting up with Martha (Martha’s POV) and Lex telling her what she needs to do to bring her so back. Within Jonathan’s toolbox they find a white stone known as the Liberty Stone, and Lex tells Martha that he has to give his life at the altar of Krypton with one of Clark’s loved ones present to receive him. Lex and Martha arrive at the altar and Lex attempts to give his life in sacrifice, but Martha does it instead. As Clark slips out of the entity’s reality, he is told the third and final criteria for Clark to return to life fully: Stop Overman. Clark returns and weeps over his Mom’s body, but Lex tells him to take care of Overman, the funeral could wait. Clark agrees and departs into the clouds to discover a way to get to Overman.
I have a little bit more planned after this long story arc, but I’ll wait until you’ve decided how you feel about this one first.
Also, I made arrangements with Miller about a crossover arc with the Flash covering a super race for charity during the nine months period in between Clark’s return and the Edge story.
Overman Arc: #24-25
Ultimate Superman #24: Clark traces the all of the information on his blog and computer and comes across the link leading to the Overworld, and, after using it, arrives back within Overman’s territory. He reaches the city where he is attacked by Nazi soldiers. He defeats them and escapes before Overman can arrive. He sneaks into the castle in the uniform of one of the soldiers he defeated and eavesdrops on Alexander Luthor and Overman talking about how to proceed. Clark breaks into the conference and steals a piece of Kryptonite form Alexander and attacks Overman with it, but it proves to be useless. Overman attacks Alexander but Clark saves him. Alexander tells Clark where he can find Kryptonite to kill Overman, and Clark escapes the battle room in search of the Kryptonite.
Ultimate Superman #25: Clark visits a small town in the mountains who lead him to the cave, but he has to promise to rid them of “the evil.” He promises and then enters the cave. He suddenly receives strange visions of a world invaded by aliens. He shakes it off and continues further into the cave where he discovers the Red Kryptonite. He reaches for it but suddenly becomes weak. He leaves the cave but it confronted by Overman. After an epic battle, Clark manages to trick Overman into the cave where he lays powerless due to the force of the Red-K. Clark refuses to kill him but instead leaves him stranded within the cavern. He leaves to the village where he tells the people that he has rid them of “the evil” assuming they meant Overman. They say it wasn’t Overman, but something far, far away, at the center of everything. Clark then receives another vision of the invasion and, after its finish, asks the people if they know how to get back to Earth-1. They show him a teleporter that he goes through and he arrives back on his Earth, back in front of his computer. He flips on the news and watches as Lois Lane gives a report about the invasion of planet Earth by an alien race known as the Kryptonians.
Invasion of Zod Arc: #26-31
Ultimate Superman #26: Clark rushes from his apartment and heads towards the giant spaceship above Metropolis. When he comes to close to it he is shocked back down to Earth by a powerful force field that renders him completely powerless. He is saved by Lionel Luthor who takes him in his limo to a nearby warehouse. Within the warehouse a small army has amassed itself with powerful anti-Kryptonian weaponry. Lionel explains to Clark that he and Lex had been creating this technology for weeks while Superman had disappeared (the last two stories) in preparation for the coming invasion. Clark dons an anti-Krypton suit and leads Lionel’s warriors into battle against several Kryptonian soldiers. He barely defeats them when Lex shows up to bale his ass out. Clark follows Lex to Lex’s secret hideout where he has been keeping an unidentified alien spacecraft for many years. When Clark touches the spacecraft a message from Jor-El appears and he tells Clark that he is his true father.
Ultimate Superman #27: Clark watches the message from his father explaining life on Krypton and how Clark is set to inherit the throne if he ever brings Zod down. Jor-El explains that Zod invaded the capitol of Krypton and killed everyone, starting with the royal family of Elora. He also explains that there are two other children, Con-El, the son of Jor-El and a prostitute, and Cir-El, an adopted child that was kept private for these simple reasons, also of Kara, who was lost long ago, but may still be alive. After the message ends Clark destroys the ship and tells Lex that he needs a way to stop Zod, and he has to find these kids. The two leave the hideout and Clark finds that his powers have been restored by the spacecraft after he defends them from a Kryptonian. But they are then taken by surprise by Lionel Luthor who sedates Clark and kidnaps both him and Lex. Clark awakens in a research facility where Lionel has managed to clip some of his DNA and is beginning to clone him and at the same time attempting to build a weapon against the Kryptonians. The issue ends with the lab being broken into and Clark being saved by Kara.
Ultimate Superman #28: Clark and Kara battle their way out of Lionel’s lab and out into the open where they are ambushed by Kryptonians. After a startling battle they manage to escape and they retreat back to the Kent Family Farm in Smallville to regroup. Here Kara introduces herself and tells Clark her life story, and Clark tells her about Zod. The two then make an alliance to stop Zod. They plan for hours and, in the end, come out with this: Save Lex, retrieve Lionel’s anti-Krypton weapons, destroy the force-field, and then confront Zod. They leave the farm to return to where Lionel’s lab lays in wait and they ambush it but are quickly defeated by Lionel’s (quickly built) Kryptonite Gun which harnesses the power of a rare *Golden Kryptonite. Lex, having gained his father’s trust by using this gun on Clark, hands it over to his father only to stab him in the throat with a pen, and saving Clark and Kara, and the three escapes. The issue ends with Con-El falling from the sky and landing in front of the trio.
*Golden Kryptonite burns Kryptonian blood.
Ultimate Superman #29: The trio pick Con-El up and attempt to escape with him, but they are confronted by Lor-Zod, prince of Krypton. He attacks the four, Clark and Kara still weak from the Kryptonite, and manages to defeat them easily. But Lex fires the weapon at Lor-Zod, who retreats immediately, saving himself from shear death. They escape back to the farm where they converse with Con-El who tells them everything about why Dru-Zod is invading Earth. “He was contacted by a strange man whom went by the name of Ultra who told him that the last son of Elora lay the hero of Earth. The prophecy of the Renaissance would come true if he didn’t crush the son once and for all. But the only way to defeat him was with the powers of He Whom Derives from the Center of All. Zod asks Ultra why he is helping, and he says that the last son will surely bring ruin to all if he is not done away with. Zod agrees to contact HWDFTCOA and he makes a deal with the great being that if he kills Kal-El Krypton will be forever his, along with immortality, but Earth would be his (HWDFTCOA’s), while if Zod failed, Krypton would fall to the goddess Elora once again and his son would face torture and torment among the darkest and damndest of souls. Zod made the deal and was given the powers of millions.” Con-El then tells them who he is (the son of Jor-El and a prostitute) and says that his sister is leading a revolution on Krypton. Col-El then tells them that they have to destroy the three pillars that generate the force field, and only then could they truly face Zod. Alexander Luthor comes through a portal on the Kent Farm and approaches the team with an apology and Blue Kryptonite to heal their wounds.
Ultimate Superman #30: Alexander tells the team about how Overman tricked him and that Superman had two of the “mysterious energies” inside of him, and only one was released when he died; the other stayed within him and gave him the will to fight his way back to the land of the living. He tells them that Overman says that the energies are from the most powerful being in the Multiverse and that the only way to defeat him is to destroy them all. Alexander tells them that a war between good and evil has erupted, and Superman is leading the charge. They accept Luthor’s apology and take him into the team where they devise a plan. Supergirl destroys one pillar, Con-El destroys one pillar, and Superman destroys one pillar while Lex and Alexander go to Lionel’s lab and gear up for the final fight. But when Superman has destroyed his pillar he is attack by Zod’s son who is then engaged by Con-El, which then gives Clark the chance to encounter Zod. Con-El quickly begins to lose the fight and Supergirl joins in. The issue ends with Clark walking into Zod’s chambers and we get our first glimpse of Zod.*
*
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Generalzodrussian21.pngUltimate Superman #31: Zod explains to Clark the purpose of his armor (to take in Red Sun Rays making him even more powerful than Yellow Sun Rays). After this explanation Zod attacks Clark, saying he has to wait just a few more moments before his plan to turn the sun red is enacted, then he can take over the world. Their battle ends after Clark manages to break the face mask on Zod’s armor and heat vision-ing it. Zod retreats to a deeper part of the ship and Clark chases him. Clark finds him in a giant room housing a massive missile and Zod explains that he plans to use this missile (by firing it at the Sun) to turn the sun red, and then, using his smaller model yellow sun (revealed at a sooner point in time) to become the most powerful Kryptonian ever. Clark and Zod battle, but ultimately Clark is to slow and the missile begins its launch sequence. Unable to stop it, Clark attempts to kill Zod, but just then Lex shows up and pulls him off, and kills Zod himself, saying he couldn’t let Clark kill again. Alexander then appears and attempts to disable the missile. The missile fires and Alexander’s final words are “The war has begun, and only you can end it!” with it not being clear which of the four (Supergirl and Con-El have appeared by that point, and Zod’s son has escaped) Alexander was addressing. The four watch as the rocket explodes just far enough away from Earth as to not do any damage. The four return to Zod’s chambers to discuss what to do next, and Con-El tells Clark that he is now the King of Krypton. Using his new-found power, Clark makes a world-wide announcement to the Kryptonians (thorugh a device on the ship allowing him to do so) calling them all back to Metropolis. After four long hours, all of the Kryptonians are gathered on their ships in the skies above Metropolis where Clark tells them that he is Kal-El, the Last Son of Jor-El, and that he has slain Emperor Dru-Zod and that he is their new king. He is met with a mix of cheers and boos, with a massive chunk (30%?) taking a ship and leaving Earth to find a new home, away from the Elora (EL) family. Clark then diminishes all of his control of Krypton to Con-El (previously known as Con-Ar on Krypton) to stay on Earth, while Con-El leads Krypton to a brighter tomorrow. The issue ends with the Krytonians’ departure and Clark and Lex deciding to look for the mysterious figure known as Ultra.
Kryptonian Aftermath/Superwoman Arc: #32-37
Ultimate Superman #32: Lois Lane invites Superman to an interview with all of the heroes of the recent invasion from Krypton.* Superman arrives and during the interview he says that during the invasion he finally discovered his family heritage and goes into the story about how he was adopted. After the interview he is offered a nice bachelor pad (much nicer than the one he had before) by Lex. He takes it and moves all of his stuff in but, to his surprise, he is awoken by a call from Lois Lane, Lex’s fiancée, to meet him at the Daily Planet in ten minutes. When he arrives Lois immediately asks him if he’s Superman, having figured it out from his adoption story and Clark’s recent absence. Clark admits to it, and Lois kisses him, saying she’s had a crush on Superman since the first interview.* Clark freaks out and leaves her standing there, debating whether to tell Lex or not.
*Whoever wants their hero to be interviewed really
*See Ultimate Superman Issue #3
Ultimate Superman #33: Clark discovers an article featuring an old man who was hospitalized by the invasion, and his wife killed. Feeling remorse for the fact that the old man lost everything in the invasion, and knowing it was his fault it happened in the first place, Clark ventures to the hospital to talk with the man. After the old man shares his life story, Clark says he’s sorry, and, upon the old man (Gerard Shugel) asking why, Clark divulges that he is, in fact, Superman (Clark notices that the man is almost dead, so finds no security issue with this). The man then, after cursing Clark, suffers from a heart attack. Clark returns home in tears, ever more encouraged in his hunt for Ultra.
Ultimate Superman #34: Clark awakens to a call from his wasted best friend Lex Luthor to come pick him up at a bar. When Clark arrives at said bar (Angel’s Place), Lex convinces him to sit down and have a drink with him. Clark listens as Lex tells him about how Lois broke up with him because she has fallen for someone else. Clark, knowing it’s him she’s fallen for, decides, out of guilt, to get wasted with his friend. Later that day, showing up with a hangover, he arrives at the Daily Planet just in time to go cover the new news story of the Superwoman who just stopped a gang war in China Town. Clark and Lois take the same cab where she again tries to kiss Clark, but he refuses her, saying that he wouldn’t hurt Lex like that. When they arrive in China Town the war starts up again and Clark is forced to go Superman and fight alongside Superwoman to stop it. Afterwards they interview with Lois and Superwoman says she’ll be glad to stick around and help clean the streets alongside her hero Superman. The issue ends with Lex calling him to announce his visiting and he arrives at Clark’s bachelor pad with a new girl, Dana Dearden, whom Clark immediately recognizes as Superwoman.
Ultimate Superman #35: Clark and Lex dine with Dana at Clark’s apartment. After her departure, Clark tells Lex who she truly is, and, believing Clark just to be jealous of the new hero leaves the apartment angered. Clark then turns to Superman when he hears about a fire on the radio. Clark saves several people from the fire before Dana arrives and assists. After the fire, Clark quickly departs, only to be followed by Dana. She follows him back to his apartment and seduces him (using pink Kryptonite), catching the whole scene on tape. The next morning Clark awakens to another phone call saying to arrive at Century Park before noon or the “Super Sex Tape” would go viral. Clark arrives at Century Park and discovers that the caller was none other than Lionel Luthor himself!
Ultimate Superman #36: Lionel explains that his cloning process is flawless and that the Lionel Lex killed was just a clone; and that Superwoman (Dana) is a female clone of Clark. Clark asks for Lionel’s demands and Lionel states simply that his (Lionel’s) master just wants a civil meeting with Clark. Clark agrees to this and follows Lionel to a large mansion on the outskirts of the city. Here he is subdued by Superwoman (again with the use of pink Kryptonite), and brought to the study of a mysterious man. The mysterious man tells Clark (using a voice modifier to make himself sound like Lex) that he is Ultra. He tells Clark that there are five other sources of the Mysterious Energy and that collecting them all was the only way to stop the “Evil” that Alexander foretold. Clark awakens back within his apartment, now believing Lex is his ultimate enemy.
Ultimate Superman #37: Clark calls Lois and tells her to meet him at Lex’s apartment at noon, saying they all need to talk. She reluctantly agrees and shows up, only to be (happily) surprised and seduced by Clark in his best friends own bed. When Lex returns from a meeting for a nice long shower, he finds Clark and Lois shacking it up. This is the last straw, and Lex calls a press conference to reveal the identity of Superman. At the press conference Clark finds Lex just before he goes on stage and confronts him about being Ultra. Lex denies it, but Clark doesn’t believe him. Lex goes up on stage and tells the world that he is Superman. Clark, amazed that Lex did this, believes him when Lex tells Clark he isn’t Ultra. Clark returns home, but when he gets on the internet he discovers that Lex has been shot and has been proven a phony, claiming false fame as Superman. Clark rushes to the hospital and, when Lex gets out of surgery, Clark apologizes for bringing this pain into his life. He then flies off to find Superwoman, who is stopping a bank robbery, and attacks her. The issue ends with the two in an epic fist fight to the death when Superwoman and she gives up, saying that she has to do this or Lionel will kill her. Clark offers her a place to stay with him and the conflict is resolved, leaving Clark with angry feelings about Lionel now.
-Elite
(P.S.) This is only a piece of the saga overall. Other of my plans included making Action Comics: A Kryptonian Tale about Con-El as king and then, eventually, a Steel comic.
This is only about half of my story, and I'll send the rest in partials if you'd like.