Superman: War of the Worlds #1 is a one-shot published in 1999.
Synopsis for "Superman: War of the Worlds"
Appearing in "Superman: War of the Worlds"
Featured Characters:
- Superman (Single appearance; dies)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- President Roosevelt (In a photograph only) (Dies)
- George Taylor (Single appearance; dies)
- Jimmy Olsen
- President John Garner
- Jonathan Kent (Single appearance; dies)
- Martha Kent (Single appearance; dies)
- Oswald Mosley
- Perry White
- Professor Ogilvy (Single appearance; dies)
- United States Air Force
- United States Army
- Adolf Hitler (Mentioned only) (Dies)
- Joseph Stalin (Mentioned only) (Dies)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- Kryptonian Rocket
- Martian Tripods
Notes
- Reprinted in Elseworlds: Superman Vol. 1.
- Clark Kent never actually calls himself Superman in this story.
- An image of Superman dying in the arms of the Martian machines appeared in the Hypertime montage in The Kingdom #2 implying that this (or a very similar) reality was part of hypertime. Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium stated that Superman: War of the Worlds took place on Earth-1938.
Trivia
- The story is set in 1938 because this is the year in which Superman was introduced and was also the year of the well-known radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds" narrated by Orson Welles. Several other items reflect the early elements of the title before they changed over time (such as the Daily Planet initially named the Daily Star).
- This isn't the first time that paired Superman with a "War of the Worlds"-type story line. In Superman #62 (1950), Superman encounters Orson Welles and at the same time preventing a Martian invasion while the story makes nods to Welles' infamous broadcast.
- Aside from being based on the "The War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, the story also pays homage to the original H.G. Wells novel: Woking, which is an English town where the first Martian cylinder landed; the inclusion of Professor Ogilvy; and scenes of the Martians firing on a white flag/peace delegation.
- During the first battle between the U.S. military and the Martians, one American soldier quotes "Guns, tanks, bombs...they're like toys against them!" This is a line taken from the 1953 film adaptation of The War of the Worlds.
- While answering calls at the Daily Star, Lois says: "No Ma'am, I don't know if Li'l Abner's ever going to marry Daisy Mae..." a reference to the comic strip Li'l Abner. The series' creator Al Capp eventually let the couple marry in 1952.
- While Lois calls Perry White, she quotes Herbert Morrison (the announcer to the 1937 Hindenburg disaster) while describing the massacre: "Th-They set the train on fire! All those people - The Humanity--!"
- Lex Luthor calls Clark Kent the "Nietzschean Superman", which is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche and his concept of the Übermensch.
- Until Superman #7, George Taylor was Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Star at which Clark Kent and Lois Lane worked, before Perry White replaced him.
- The scene of Superman holding a car above his head is a clear allusion to the cover of Action Comics #1, which debut the first appearance of Superman.
- The cover references Superman #1
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.
