The King & Cyberpunk

Not too long ago, Jack Kirby’s OMAC was considered “radioactive” by the Brother Eye ruling DC Comics. No way, no how could the concept be successful in the modern comics market.

In fact, when the One Man Army Corps did make his inevitable comeback, the concept was completely reimagined as a legion of faceless, robotic killers controlled by an Artificial Intelligence rum amok.

A fresh idea, if you never saw “The Terminator” back in the 1980s.

Once again, it seems The King has been misunderstood. A perceptive post at datajunkie demonstrates the original Kirby series was far, far ahead of its time.

In his usual, over-the-top manner, Kirby touched upon themes of identity, corruption and technology run rampant that would later find greater success in the works of William Gibson and other “cyberpunk” practitioners.

Of even greater prescience, though, is a text page written by the King himself in the first issue. Although it would be a stretch to say he anticipated anthrax attacks via the postal service, the essay does introduce themes that currently bring anxiety to our day-to-day lives.

Here it is, once again courtesy of datajunkie. Click to enlarge.

Now let’s not hear any further comments on how Kirby’s DC work was too “out there.”

Love, Supergirl Style

It’s a given fact that Supergirl had her share of fans throughout the cosmos. Some, in fact, went to - um - extraordinary lengths to show their devotion to The Girl of Steel.

Yet, those who were nearest and dearest to Kara Zor-El’s heart were far and few between. The Fortress Keeper planned a rundown of each individual who stole the Maid of Might’s heart, but found the Weisinger crew had done a fine job themselves a number of years back.

(This list excludes the living “dolly” that once found its way to Kara’s bed. That was just wrong.)

So without further ado…

No list of Supergirl’s loves would be complete without a mention of Salkor, the Girl of Steel’s “secret husband” who came to light shortly after Kara’s death in Superman #415.

It turns out that sometime between her own canceled series and Crisis On Infinite Earths, Supergirl suffered amnesia after colliding head on with a Red Kryptonite meteor. (Apparently, peripheral vision wasn’t among Kara’s powers given the number of times she flew into Red Kryptonite meteors.)

The addled Girl of Steel found herself on an alien planet where she fell in love with that civilization’s champion. Taking the name “Jasma” (Don’t ask, the Keeper’s memory isn’t that good.), Kara enjoyed what appeared to be an extended period of wedded bliss.

When her memory eventually returned, Supergirl left the planet with no recollection of Salkor or Jasma. All well and good, and if the story ended at that point it would have made a poignant tale of love lost and never regained.

Unfortunately, writers Bates and Maggin chose instead to have Kara her regain memories at a later date and leave behind a recorded confession of her secret past shortly before dying.

Since she apparently never made an effort to contact Salkor, the tale was no longer a bittersweet love story. Instead, it was presented as a rather shameful blot on the usually forthright Girl of Steel’s reputation.

A typical end for a character who suffered regularly from the quirks of Bronze Age storytelling - hardly the most female-friendly era of comics.

After Superman’s history was altered, Salkor and Kara Zor-El herself disappeared from existence. Perhaps, in this instance, it is just as well since the Fortress Keeper can leave happily leave Supergirl in the arms of her true love - a certain green Romeo named Querl Dox.

The Real World: Coast City

Musclemen in spandex chillin’ in an apartment, hoistin’ a few and talkin’ guy stuff.

For whatever reason, the Keeper finds all this a little disturbing …

(And it’s a genuine pity Hal didn’t take his own advice when Emerald Twilight rolled around …)