SON OF KRYPTON, DAUGHTER OF OLYMPUSSuperman and Wonder Woman, two of the most iconic characters in the history of comics, have broken the boundaries of their original medium to become known throughout the world. Superman is the archetype, the hero that created the genre, the role model most other heroes derive from. And yet this legend was equally as famous in his everyday role as humble Clark Kent, courting the affections of Lois Lane.
Wonder Woman shattered the mould of the super hero, as a warrior who overcame evil through the power of love, wielding a Lasso of Truth. As an Amazon warrior, she also became the ultimate empowered female before such phrases had entered daily life.
This unique guide takes you into the world of these two much-loved characters, exploring their secrets, from the world of Krypton to the weaponry of the Amazons. It also showcases the genius of the talents that have worked on the comics, from Superman’s creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, to later figures from John Byrne to Jim Lee. Bringing the story of two all-time greats right up to date, we celebrate the wonder of comics at their most sublime.
LAST SON OF KRYPTONsuperman is earth’s greatest champion, yet he began life on a planet a long, long way from here. his legendary story begins on an ancient world named krypton...
SUPERMAN“As a distant planet was destroyed by old age, a scientist placed his infant son within a hastily devised space-ship, launching itTtoward Earth!”
The above caption appeared in the first panel of the first Superman story published in Action Comics #1 (June 1938), and the words are still applicable today. The details have changed time and again, but essentially Superman’s story is the same today as it has always been. It’s the story of an orphan who finds a family and a greater purpose far from home. It’s the story of a foundling child who’s been sent by an advanced civilisation to show humanity a better way...
SURVIVORCivilizations didn’t come more advanced than the scientific wonder that was the planet Krypton. It’s a pity, then, that the Kryptonians failed to see the dangers around them. The great scientist Jor-El recognized the constant ground quakes for what they were – a warning that Krypton was about to explode. His superiors, however, wouldn’t listen, charging him with heresy and banning him from ever discussing his predictions. Consequently Jor-El was only able to build, in secret, a single prototype spacecraft – not the armada he’d envisioned. At the urging of his wife, Lara, Jor-El planned to use the small craft to save their infant son. As Krypton broke apart around him, Jor-El programmed the spacecraft to fly to a world orbiting a yellow sun. The sun’s radiation would transform baby Kal-El’s Kryptonian cells into living solar batteries, granting him incredible powers.
In Jor-El’s words, he would become the Earth’s Man of Tomorrow...
PRINCESS OF POWERThe First Lady of super heroes has been around almost as long as Superman. an emblem of truth, justice and empowerment, Wonder woman was a feminist icon from the very beginning...
Easily the most powerful female super hero in the DC Universe, Wonder Woman combines the abilities of the ancient gods with the insight of a complex, modern woman. From her origins on Paradise Island through death and resurrection, to her current position as an agent for the Department of Meta-Human Affairs in America, Wonder Woman’s story rivals the greatest of
myths, giving her a place in the pantheon of humanity’s heroes.
CHILD OF CLAYMany years ago, a young American test pilot named Diana Trevor crash-landed on Themyscira, the
remote island home of the warrior women known as the Amazons. Some time later, when a monster called Cottus threatened the island, Diana used what was left of her plane’s weapons to protect her new friends, ultimately sacrificing her own life to save them. Hippolyta, the queen of
the Amazons, never forgot Diana’s sacrifice, remembering her name forever.
Copyright © 2019 by DC Comics. Published by Hero Collector Books, a division of Eaglemoss Ltd.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
