The Iron Age of Comics: Jim Shooter's Return to Marvel

[nick_crenshaw82]

Well, it dawns on me now that the one loss in this timeline is without Liefeld's horrid Supreme we never get the wonder that was Moore's take. Unless maybe something at Epic leads to Moore being willing to write a Supreme Power type story rather than waiting for JMS to come up with the idea.

I could live with Alan Moore using Hyperion and the Squadron Supreme as the bases for a story similar to his Supreme run.

 

[Pyro]

Dropping in to let you all know that I'm on vacation for the next few days, but I'll be working on Superman '95 when I get back to the TL.

 

[Pyro]

Superman (1995)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Story by Bob Gale
Produced by Warner Bros.

Cast

Brendan Fraser as Clark Kent/Superman
Jennifer Connelly as Lois Lane
Bruce Willis as Lex Luthor
Howie Long as Major John Corben/Metallo
Peter Falk as Jonathan Kent
Olympia Dukakis as Martha Kent
Ernie Hudson as Perry White
Will Friedle as Jimmy Olsen
Matt Dillion as Steve Lombard
Lisa Edelstein as Hope
Tony Todd as ???
Michael Dorn as ???

Released: June 9, 1995

Budget: $175 Million
Box Office Gross: $1.054 Billion​

Fans looked to Steven Spielberg’s Superman with great anticipation as the public memory of 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest for Peace had largely faded. Indeed, James Cameron’s Spider-Man helped boost expectations from fans, who expected the Man of Steel to match Marvel’s Web-slinger tit for tat. Audiences had reacted well to the trailers and test screenings had been largely positive. Expectations were high, especially for Brendan Fraser, who had succeeded Christopher Reeve in the role. “It was hard not to feel a degree of imposter syndrome,” Fraser himself would recall a few years later, “I went from playing a reanimated caveman to having my face on action figures and a mountain of other merchandise.”

Steven Spielberg likewise dealt with high expectations coming off the highly successful Jurassic Park. He and Bob Gale of Back to the Future fame sought to draw from every aspect of the Man of Steel’s sixty year long history from Action Comics #1 to present day. That became evident to audiences on June 9, 1995 when the film began with an animated introduction directed by Bruce Timm (of Batman: The Animated Series fame) in the style of the Fleischer Studios shorts from the forties.

V.O. (Provided by Corey Burton)
Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton! The Man of Steel… SUPERMAN! Empowered with x-ray vision and possessing great physical strength, Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice, and the American way [1].

The camera zooms in on the symbol emblazoned on his chest as John Williams’ score begins for the opening credits reminiscent of Richard Donner’s 1978 film.

It begins with NASA’s experimental space plane prototype making its approach on Metropolis International Airport for the city’s annual air show with Daily Planet reporter, Lois Lane, on board. Everything appears to be going well until one of its engines explodes. Spectators on the ground panic as a crash appears imminent until a nameless stranger flies into action to stabilize the plane’s flight and allow it to land safely and Lois confronts the stranger. Both appear infatuated on the spot, but onlookers mob them both and force him to fly off before he can reveal any information.

The appearance of this “Superman” excites the citizens of Metropolis, but their reaction at the air show troubles Clark who returned to Smallville to talk to his parents. Jonathan and Martha Kent encourage him to continue helping people, but suggest that he take up a costumed identity and even help him with creating his costume [2]. He eventually returns to the city in his civilian guise to take up a position as the Daily Planet’s new staff writer. The dynamic between Lois and Clark changes somewhat. While Clark is smitten with Lois, she sees him as more of a rival after Perry White tells the rest of the staff that they could “learn a thing or two from Kent.” Complicating matters is the arrival of Lois’ fiance, Major John Corben, when he makes a visit to the Planet’s offices. Introductions are cut short when Perry announces that a militia is holding the Metropolis Museum of Natural History hostage. Clark mysteriously disappears, to which Lois, assuming that he is trying to scoop her, mutters, “Not today, Smallville.”

Little does she release that Clark ducked into a supply closet to fly into action in his first official outing as SUPERMAN. However, he finds himself briefly exposed to kryptonite when one of the militiamen threatens a student on a field trip, but ultimately overcomes the criminals. Lex Luthor later arrives on the scene to privately reveal that he was responsible for the situation and gives Superman a “job offer” that the Man of Steel coldly rebuffs by flying away. A response that visibly angers Luthor, who then remarks to his bodyguard/chauffeur, Hope, that he will have to “remove” Superman from the equation if he cannot control him.

Bruce Willis’ Lex Luthor is a completely different animal from Gene Hackman’s portrayal twenty years prior. While capable of some well-timed quips--he plays Luthor with surprising intensity and reveals himself to be both manipulative and ruthless. This is particularly evident in his exploitation of Major Corben’s jealousy of Lois’ infatuation with Superman by sabotaging a demonstration of the Lexo-Suit (which Corben is piloting) so that the major is gravely wounded despite Superman’s intervention. He convinces Corben that Superman was going to let him die so that he can have Lois to himself--even showing him footage of a clearly infatuated Lois interviewing the Man of Steel.

Luthor tells Corben that he can give him the power to destroy Superman by transferring his consciousness to an invincible metallic body powered by the piece of Kryptonite from the museum. A heartbroken and enraged Corben agrees to undergo the procedure to be reborn as METALLO. Corben even manages to defeat and humiliate Superman in their first encounter, but soon learns the price that came with his power. He eventually learns that he completely lost his sense of touch when he tries to kiss Lois. This revelation begins his descent into madness where he unintentionally throws Lois off her balcony only for Superman to rescue her and stoke the flames of anger and jealousy.

Concerned with her fiance’s erratic behaviour, Lois begins her own investigation into what truly happened at the Lexo-Suit demonstration with Clark’s assistance. The pair uncover evidence of sabotage, but no concrete proof that Luthor was directly responsible. Meanwhile, Corben himself confronts the doctor that performed the procedure that turned him into Metallo to demand that he be returned to his old body and crushes the man’s skull when he tells him that it is impossible. Corben then sets his sights on Luthor and begins his rampage through Metropolis.

While hectic in pace, Metallo’s rampage reveals some hidden character depths. Steve Lombard, who had played a comedic, crude, and overly macho foil to Clark, takes charge in one scene to move the injured away and even distracts Corben himself long enough for Superman to continue the battle. With some assistance from Lois he lures Corben to one of LexCorp’s steel mills though the homicidal cyborg holds the advantage. He weakens Superman with the Kryptonite, but Lois uses the mill’s machinery to knock her ex-fiance into a vat of molten steel that the Last Son of Krypton freezes with his arctic breath and traps him long enough for Lois to shatter the Kryptonite and end Corben’s threat for good.

While Superman neutralized the threat of Metallo, he still confronts Luthor in his office atop LexCorp Tower. Lex taunts Superman over the lack of evidence of his involvement in the Lexo-Suit sabotage and gloats that most of the city is in his pocket. He asks Superman what he plans to do, to which Superman curtly replies, “I’ll be watching.”

Similar to the 1978’s Superman, the 1995 incarnation ends with Superman flying high above the Earth and smiling into the camera before flying off into the horizon--or so audiences thought. Those that stayed through the credits would be treated to a mid-credits scene taking place in the hellscape familiar to readers of the comic book. Darkseid watches Superman from his throne room with Desaad and Kalibak at his side. Kalibak pleads to his father for the right to battle Superman, only for Darkseid to sharply rebuke him and mention that he has plans for the Kryptonian before the screen fades to black.

The scene itself would lend to much speculation over the following years, but the most persistent rumour was that it was not Spielberg, but George Lucas who directed this scene as a favor to his friends. It would persist for the better part of a decade until confirmed by Lucas himself at the 2004 premiere of Star Wars - Episode IX: Duel of the Fates. Many fans speculated that the scene was part of a larger narrative, which was not always the case. Spielberg and Lucas had originally intended it to be an Easter Egg for the fans that grew beyond its original intention.

Superman ‘95 successfully rode the wave Spider-Man started to become the first film in history to break the billion dollar mark. Reviews were generally favorable, with the Los Angeles Times proclaiming that Superman soars again. Most appreciated that this film incarnation dispensed with the slapstick humour that plagued the Reeve films from Superman II onwards. Most fans and industry observers would mark this film as the true start of DC’s shared cinematic universe (although some considered the Burton Batman films canon.) Warner Bros. immediately greenlit a sequel with a tentative June 1998 release. Spielberg quickly dispelled any notions that he would return for it, but cryptically mentioned, “Why settle for the Man of Steel when you can also have the Dark Knight?”

[1] “The American way” is omitted in some markets.

[2] Which resembles his first OTL Rebirth costume from 2016. The loss of his “briefs” earns a great deal of media attention and creates a minor controversy.

 

[lukedalton]

That his Superman

 

[jack_donaghy_is_the_shado]

Woohoo! Fantastic!

I had the bruce timm animated series theme going in my head while reading this!!!

Well worth the wait!

 

[Umbric Man]

AWESOME. I’m glad you show the good guys and even Steve Lombard as being, well, noble.

Nerd time again. Costume-wise I could only ask the suit be updated to the “Reborn“ costume, albeit with wrist-cuffs like in the posted initial Rebirth outfit or preferably from Action Comics #1000 (which were more subtle and looked less metallic than the initial Rebirth ones, indeed like a blue version of the boot’s “cuffs”), and keep the belt not too thin or the buckle too angled downward like some artists kept drawing. Heck, color the belt all-yellow instead of the Reborn red-yellow combo if you want - that works incredibly well when the belt design is sized and angled just right and the wrist-cuffs give just enough definition to the suit so people don’t need the trunks to break up the costume. Haha. Can you tell I was a fan of Superman and Batman losing their trunks? I thought Reborn’s costume was perfect save adding in wrist-cuffs.

Anyhoo. As one of those guys who thought Superman is being too forgotten or misinterpreted by DC nowadays in favor of endless Batman, Watchmen, and grimderp - I mean grimdark - seeing HIM become the first billion dollar movie in TTL and the *DCEU become properly set up is very welcome. Thank you for that.

 

[Kara0616]

The scene itself would lend to much speculation over the following years, but the most persistent rumour was that it was not Spielberg, but George Lucas who directed this scene as a favor to his friends. It would persist for the better part of a decade until confirmed by Lucas himself at the 2004 premiere of Star Wars - Episode IX: Duel of the Fates.

Hmm interesting.. You planning to cover Star Wars ITTL?

 

[Pyro]

Hmm interesting.. You planning to cover Star Wars ITTL?

It wouldn't be much of a pop culture TL if I didn't address Star Wars would it? 😜

 

[Ficboy]

It wouldn't be much of a pop culture TL if I didn't address Star Wars would it? 😜

Presumably, the Prequel Trilogy will more or less be the same as OTL in terms of characters, stories and actors and actresses. Plus there's also the burgeoning Expanded Universe of novels, comics, video games, radio dramas, animated series and The Star Wars Holiday Special.

 

[nick_crenshaw82]

Brendan Fraser as Clark Kent

 

[thekingsguard]

I love that movie idea... especially how you adpated one of the best bits from the STAS pilot, Luthor and Superman's conversion at the end in Lex's skyscraper balcony... a very "Devil and Christ on the Mountaintop" moment.

And Tony Todd as Darkseid? Oh be still my heart.

I hope this means Todd could still do The Crow... did we touch on that already? Brandon Lee survived right? If so, he would make an excellent Dick Grayson.

 

[nick_crenshaw82]

Spielberg quickly dispelled any notions that he would return for it, but cryptically mentioned, “Why settle for the Man of Steel when you can also have the Dark Knight?”

I kinda hope we get either Michael or Val Kilmer as Batman though I could settle for Billy Zane.

[2] Which resembles his first OTL Rebirth costume from 2016. The loss of his “briefs” earns a great deal of media attention and creates a minor controversy.

Nerd time again. Costume-wise I could only ask the suit be updated to the “Reborn“ costume, albeit with wrist-cuffs like in the posted initial Rebirth outfit or preferably from Action Comics #1000 (which were more subtle and looked less metallic than the initial Rebirth ones, indeed like a blue version of the boot’s “cuffs”), and keep the belt not too thin or the buckle too angled downward like some artists kept drawing. Heck, color the belt all-yellow instead of the Reborn red-yellow combo if you want - that works incredibly well when the belt design is sized and angled just right and the wrist-cuffs give just enough definition to the suit so people don’t need the trunks to break up the costume. Haha. Can you tell I was a fan of Superman and Batman losing their trunks? I thought Reborn’s costume was perfect save adding in wrist-cuffs.

Something love like this:

And Tony Todd as Darkseid? Oh be still my heart.

And Michael Dorn as Kalibak.

I hope this means Todd could still do The Crow... did we touch on that already?

See how The Crow came out in 1994 I think so.

 

[Umbric Man]

*snip*

Very close! All I'd ask is add in the cuffs - slice the third one off, make em less shiny - and this belt... although actually connect the whole damn thing. If I could photoshop/edit, I'd do both of those:

Belt's big enough it doesn't feel out of place and the extra detail via cuff can make it clear it's probably some sort of (Kryptonian) kevlar/material a la the Batsuit.

 

[Pyro]

If the inaugural E3 were a high school homecoming, then Sega and Sony would have been the king and queen respectively as it showcased the Saturn with more playable demos than Winter CES earlier that year. Among the games showcased for the platform were Knuckles: Relic Hunters, Virtua Fighter, Daytona USA, Clockwork Knight, Marvel Super Heroes: Contest of Champions, and Panzer Dragoon from Sega while Sony showed off Ridge Racer, War Hawk, and Twisted Metal. Third party developers like Capcom showcased Darkstalkers, Resident Evil, and Justice League: Super Powers and Mortal Kombat 3 from Williams.

Most attendees were enthralled by Knuckles: Relic Hunters as it demonstrated the gameplay of all its characters. Knuckles was the jack of all trades, but the only one in the game who could upgrade his abilities with relics that gave elemental punches and other as of yet undisclosed abilities. Bill the Platypus was (naturally) an adept swimmer that could navigate treacherous waterways without fear of drowning. Thrash the Tasmanian Devil was the mighty glacier with low speed and jumping height, but strong enough to smash barriers with his “Tornado Spin” that even Knuckles could not. He was also the most durable, only losing ten rings when hit. Meanwhile, Kicks the Kangaroo could “wall jump” on terrain that Knuckles could not climb and Ray had similar flight mechanics to Cape Mario from Super Mario World [1] albeit with higher recoil when hit. The game was meant to showcase the Saturn’s 2D capabilities, with much more fluid animation and a brighter colour palette than what the Genesis or SNES were capable of.

Another notable appearance was the newly-formed Marvel Interactive’s [2] Spider-Man as their, which utilized the console’s 3D capabilities. While blocky by present standards, the early demo showed the web slinger navigating the concrete canyons of New York City before facing off against Venom. Marvel pulled out the stops and brought in Christopher Daniel Barnes (who voiced the character from the Fox animated series) and “The Man” himself, Stan Lee for publicity. It had a tentative release date for Q2 1996, but time would tell if Marvel’s maiden voyage in the world of video games would be a successful one.

Fans would be dismayed when Steve Race announced the launch day price of $349.99 come September 9, 1995 at a press conference. Race was coy on the subject of a price drop, but wowed audiences when he announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4: The Rings of Order for the system for the 1996 holiday season. There were some tech demos of the Blue Blur and his sidekick, Tails, but Sega was careful not to let it overshadow Knuckles: Relic Hunters. Information was likewise scarce though it would be confirmed that Hirokazu Yasuhara would be heading the project with the Sega Technical Institute while Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima would be working on another project [3].

Nintendo would not let its rivals steal its thunder as they had their upcoming Nintendo 64 on display with demos of Super Mario 64 and Kirby’s Air Ride on display. The former appeared to be a platformer similar to Marvel’s Spider-Man where Mario and Luigi [4] explored a three-dimensional world while the latter was a racing game. Big N’s presence at E3 1995 was limited otherwise with only demos of Donkey Kong Country 2, Earthbound [5], and Killer Instinct for the SNES on display with a smattering of Game Boy releases.

3DO and Atari had a presence at the exposition, but most commentators saw the two as on their way out. Atari was in especially dire straits after the failure of their Jaguar console, which they had touted as the first 64-bit system. Hasbro, which had recently bought out a minor company named Bungie, was now eyeing the once-venerable Atari as its next acquisition. What this meant for the video games as a whole would not be seen until a new competitor entered the arena.

[1] Much like Sonic Mania Plus from OTL.

[2] Marvel Interactive’s arrangement with Sega is as a second party similar to Rare and Nintendo.

[3] Do I really need to say which one?

[4] A minor butterfly inspired by recent OTL leaks.

[5] Which gets a better advertising campaign and ends up considerably more successful, but not significantly.

 

[Ficboy]

Seems like a better pop culture timeline than OTL.

 

[nick_crenshaw82]

Claremont left the X-Men titles after an unprecedented sixteen year run following disagreements with collaborator Jim Lee.

Who takes over X-Men after Chris Claremont leaves for DC and Jim Lee focuses on WildC.A.T.s and Gen13 for Epic Comics?

the reunion of Chris Claremont with John Byrne on Justice League.

How longs was their run on Justice League?

After months of legal wrangling Jim Shooter announced that Jack Kirby and his estate would receive royalties for his part in creating the Marvel universe at San Diego Comicon in July 1993.

Will this means for Marvel's other creators?

1963 would end with an annual where they would travel forward through time to meet the contemporary heroes of the Solarverse (many of whom were future counterparts.) Sales on the initially wave of Solarverse titles were incredibly strong with 1963 #1 approaching Todd McFarlane Spawn in sales, thanks to aggressive marketing that included television commercials. Even non-Moore books such Prime were strong sellers and Malibu came within a hair’s width of overtaking DC Comics during some months of 1992/93.

Any chance for more information on the Solarverse?

Marvel Universe - Includes the company’s mainstream superhero titles, X-Men and Spider-Man being the top performers. Fantastic Four has shot up in the sales charts thanks to Jim Lee and Grant Morrison, which has turned Shooter’s attention to the Avengers-related titles. While Contest of Champions was a success, it did not translate into a significant increase in sales as it did for Fantastic Four. After the success of DC’s “Year Without a Superman,” he ordered an event of similar magnitude for the Avengers that would shape the status quo for years to come.

Marvel 2099 - Launched in late 1992 with Spider-Man 2099 and expanded in the following months with Punisher 2099, Doom 2099, and Iron Man 2099 [1]. Sales have been robust enough to the addition of 2099 Unlimited (an anthology title introducing 2099 versions of popular characters) and X-Men 2099.

Marvel Edge - Marvel transferred titles with a horror or “mature” focus to this imprint, which functions as the company’s answer to Vertigo. Such titles include Hellstorm, Morbius, Ghost Rider and The Punisher that now include more violence and suggestive material than what is allowed under the regular Marvel Universe. All of these titles are sold only through the direct market and contain a “For Mature Readers” warning on the cover.

Epic Comics - The launch of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn revitalized Marvel’s creator-owned arm, which to Marc Silvestri’s Cyberforce and Codename: Strykeforce as well as Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon and Jim Valentino’s Shadowhawk. There is some loose continuity and crossover between the four studios, but largely stay separate. Silvestri would be the most notable for recruiting talent that would work on future Marvel titles.

Star Comics - Marvel’s imprint for licensed properties (with the exceptions of G.I. Joe and Transformers: Generation 2) with Sonic the Hedgehog as the flagship title. Other titles include Barbie, Ren and Stimpy, and even a revival of the Spectacular Spider-Ham.

[1] Replacing OTL's Ravage 2099.

Are there any new updates for Marvel's imprints

 

[Ficboy]

Who takes over X-Men after Chris Claremont leaves for DC and Jim Lee focuses on WildC.A.T.s and Gen13 for Epic Comics?

How longs was their run on Justice League?

Will this means for Marvel's other creators?

Any chance for more information on the Solarverse?

Are there any new updates for Marvel's imprints

Since Marvel Edge exists, I'm assuming that Garth Ennis' Punisher will likely resemble a mix between the Marvel Knights and MAX versions.

 

[SonOfSharknado]

There's no such thing as a good timeline with Garth Ennis still writing comics.

 

[Pyro]

As with most corporate mergers, Malibu Comics saw many “casualties” in the months following the acquisition. Of the existing editorial staff, only editor-in-chief Chris Ulm remained as did the existing creative teams on its titles though major changes were on the way. Gargoyles proved to be a success in syndication, which led to some executives at Disney wanting to tie the Malibu properties into a shared animation universe as Marvel had done on Fox and UPN. Both Ulm and Gargoyles showrunner, Greg Weisman, resisted the idea as it felt forced. Thankfully it helped that most of Malibu’s characters were based in southern California while the Manhattan clan rarely ventured past the New York City area so there was a degree of separation.

There were some minor appearances by the Pack in Prime and a Macbeth cameo in Mantra along with some Easter eggs in the form of advertisements for the Xanatos and CyberBiobotics corporations. Malibu soon drew in veteran talent like Cary Bates, Len Wein, and Gerry Conway as well as established screenwriters like Jeph Loeb to act as architects for their “new” universe. Bates, who had worked with Weisman on DC’s Captain Atom and as writer on Gargoyles, convinced that Malibu’s properties were compatible with the world he created and work started on unifying the properties.

Some properties like Turok and Magnus, Robot Fighter [1] either took place in another dimension or in a divergent future so no effort was made to integrate them into the “unified” Malibu universe. Bates relaunched Solar and set in motion the seeds for the next company event that would establish the new status quo. Meanwhile, Horus made an appearance during the “World Tour” arc of Gargoyles’ second season--however the big push came after the finale, “Hunter’s Moon” that tied into the Unity mini-series.

With the Manhattan clan’s existence exposed to the public, several government agencies, the military, and corporations either hunt down or confront the clan with the Illuminati pulling the strings. Meanwhile, Demona also conspires to twist the situation to her advantage by convincing the other clans worldwide to war against the humans and uses her magic to turn Solar into her personal trump to use to rewrite reality should her scheme fail. However, it all amounts to naught as the Clan and the other Malibu heroes confront her.

While successful in stopping her plan, the event left Solar drained of most of his power and no longer omnipotent [2]. Gargoyles would become the backbone of the new Malibu universe with various characters like Manowar appearing in the third season on ABC’s Disney Adventures block [3] while comic spin-offs like Time Dancer would chronicle Brooklyn’s travels through time and Redeemers would chronicle the Redemption Squad’s missions.

Slowly, but surely, Malibu was moving into a solid third place in the comic book scene with a growing presence on television and Prime animated feature on the horizon.

[1] The former would see development into an animated series by Walt Disney animation.

[2] His powers are now comparable to Captain Atom before his heel-turn.

[3] Replacing OTL’s One Saturday Morning.

 

[Ogrebear]

Well Disney Malibu is off to an interesting start there - does the merger and exposure of the Clan happen on screen or in the books? I am a little unclear there? Or is it both?

How did Disney pull themselves out of their 'Dark Age' here? Are they different to OTL here?
Are Malibu bigger than Dark Horse? Is that due to the Disney IP boosting their sales?
Do the Malibu Disney titles still end up on newstands and in supermarkets rather than direct market only?

Any chance of an update on the smaller comic companies like First, Pacific, Eclipse, Mirage, Archie, MAD etc please?