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[three hyphens]

Thank you!!

I've run across the occasional minor difference between our version and the 1940 version on other pages that are later discovered  - things like the number of trailing dots at the end of a sentence, or the number of hyphens (as with Lois' dialogue in the page 24 "partners" panel; in the original panel it's three hyphens; in our version it's two).

Now I chalk these up to differences in the two versions of the script.

Interesting analysis!

[Kryptonian Calendar of Events]

I'm always tickled by these!



(Added to our Kryptonian Calendar of Events page, by Jamie Dodds)

[a]

As mentioned elsewhere, we were recently given copies of the original Shuster Studio artwork of the formerly lost pages 2 and 4. (More on that later)

While working on page 2, I ran across a puzzling difference:



In our version of the page, the narration box reads,

"Hurtling thru inter-planetary space, a stellar fragment fated to change the destiny of SUPERMAN"

But in the original Shuster Studio artwork, it reads differently:



"Hurtling through inter-planetary space, a stellar fragment fated to change the destiny of a SUPERMAN"

I was puzzled by this difference, at first assuming that either I or the Shuster Studio had made a mistake in reading the script; or had done a minor on-the-fly edit.

It turned out the solution wasn't that simple, and the more I looked into it, the more puzzled I became.

Here's what I tracked down:

When Mark Waid discovered the original K-Metal script in 1988, he didn't actually discover the original typed document - he discovered a mimeograph of it.

In the interest of historical preservation, he painstakingly typed what he thought was an exact duplicate.

Turns out it wasn't exact.

The mimeograph of Jerry's script reads "a SUPERMAN", Mark Waid's reproduction of that mimeograph (presumably unintentionally) omits the a.  It was Waid's duplicate that was copied and distributed around the DC offices, and that is the copy we were working from.

Does the "A" make any difference?

That's a question that may turn up again in future installments...  

(It turns out the Shuster Studio usage of the more correct "through" for "thru" was, in fact, a minor edit made by whoever was doing the lettering - Siegel had written "thru" in both versions of the script)

[nature of his morally abhorrent crimes]

When Jerry Siegel wrote his K-Metal story in 1940, he did not give it a title.  Each page of surviving artwork is merely labeled "Superman" across the top, in pencil.

It wasn't until 1988 that the story was given a name by its discoverer, Mark Waid. He began to refer to it simply as "K-Metal". Alex Ross also wrote an article using that name for the story, and the impression I get is that "K-Metal" is DC's official title of the tale. Comic book journalists and others at the time also consistently referred to it as "K-Metal"

One year into our restoration efforts, I read Gerard Jones' book, Men of Tomorrow.  In it, he invents and assigns the name "K-Metal from Krypton" to the story. This may be an anachronistic and non-official title, but at the time I thought it was pretty cool, so I put it all over the website, and in all the articles on the website, and made lots of graphics displaying that title.  And from there the name began to spread, and now people throughout the world think that's the title of the story.

But as far as I know, it isn't. (If I am wrong about this, someone please correct me! I don't actually know all and see all!)

I am a little behind the times and out of the loop, so it wasn't until just recently that I learned about Gerard Jones' 2016 arrest and conviction and the nature of his morally abhorrent crimes.

And I feel unbelievable sorrow and deep regret for popularizing something he created; and I wonder whether or not I can undo it.

But on this website, I will now be referring to the original 1940 script, story, and artwork with DC's official title, "K-Metal"; and I am renaming our K-Metal restoration project, website, its articles, and our planned upcoming story arc (of which the original "K-Metal" is but one chapter) to "Saga of the K-Metal."

Technically, this is a work in progress; there is still a lot to track down and correct on the website.

I don't know whether or not popular use of the old title will continue, but I can't stomach it.

[short excerpt from that pitch.]

In 2006, I submitted a pitch to DC Comics for a new, regular comic book title to be called, "Superman Through the Ages!", based on this website and on the vast tapestry of Superman's legacy. The book was also planned to serve as a platform for a new continuing series that would begin with a fully-restored K-Metal story, then continue on with additional chapters set in the same continuity.

Here is a short excerpt from that pitch. DC passed on it; so it is now serving as the model for our new free, online comic book series: Superman Through the Ages!



Just another project from the back burner.

[Lara, Empress of Earth!]

To celebrate the fact that Lara, Empress of Earth! is issue #1 in our Superman Through the Ages! comic book series, the story will also be available to read with this "Superman Through the Ages!" cover variant.



Be sure to check out the variant covers for K-Metal, recently posted.

[here]

This was the very first cover done for the K-Metal restoration project, back in 2005; only two years after we had launched -


(artwork by Angel and Steve Criado)

Our K-Metal cover has been through a couple of iterations since that time.

Here is the newest:


(artwork by Wayne Boring and Angel Criado; online here)

The artwork for this cover incorporates one of the panels from the recently restored page 23, originally drawn by Wayne Boring; now restored/finished and colored by Angel Criado.

It is unique in that it is the first of our K-Metal covers that can truly be credited to the Joe Shuster Studio.

It is also the first in our cover series that uses the same early style "Superman" logo that was drawn in the original K-Metal artwork.

Our earlier cover, playing off the Superman #8 theory, is of course still online too.

[Blood of My Ancestors]

Blood of My Ancestors was published in 2003, with artwork by Gil Kane, John Buscema and Kevin Nowlan.

At the time of publication, both Gil Kane and John Buscema had passed away.

I've always loved Gil Kane's work along with his Swords and Sorcery take on ancient Krypton. (The Sword of the Atom is another favorite, where The Atom is also portrayed as a classic Barbarian type)

Our presentation consists of a small selection of highlights from the much longer story.  For that reason, it can be bit jumpy in spots, but I think the main point comes across.  Added to the "legacy online comics" section.

As the story begins, the main character has just been killed....

["Lara, Empress of Earth!"]

I am thrilled to announce our latest online comic book endevour,

"Lara, Empress of Earth!"

Some of you may remember the name Mark Alfred - back in the early days of Superman Through the Ages!, he contributed an outstanding article called "The Colors Out of Space," explaining in-depth about the many varieties on the Kryptonite Spectrum.

His latest contribution is the script of this three-part, Imaginary Novel.  Angel Criado, of K-Metal fame, has volunteered to step up for the art chores.

Together, the two of them will be creating and releasing this comic of the Silver Age in three separate installments!



More details here!



(Final Cover may differ)